More than he told
by CALLEN37
Summary: Deeks comes into contact with a drug that turns him into a kid, how does the team cope with this and how do they cope with finding out more about Deeks than he ever wanted them to know about his childhood. KidFic. Special thanks to HarmonFreak1. WIP... Cover Art by @Meleenacollins (Twitter)
1. Chapter 1

A/N written on request of SpencReid06, Merci Beaucoup. Also I would like to thank HARMONFREAK1 who graciously allowed me to use the idea of a scientist in this story, this will not be like her awesome story McBaby, which I suggest you check out and her awesome sequel. and last but by no means least, Karen Dunbar whose idea of Deeks falling and getting cut and the Meth lab, ensured that this first story kicked off to what I hope will be a good start.

This story will have disturbing imagery in it and will this chapter has hints to drug use and child abuse.

This will be a WIP but like all my stories it may take time and you may get random bursts of chapters but it will be finished.

Disclaimer I own nothing.

* * *

More than he told.

Chapter 1

Deeks cleared the room nodding to his fellow LAPD officer as he went, "You think the Intel is right?" Rick Santini asked as they opened a door to yet another empty room.

Deeks nodded, "I had Eric at NCIS check out the information." He replied.

Santini looked over at him with disdain, "NCIS again, you can't do anything without running it past them, it's a wonder they let you out on this op." he snapped.

Deeks shot him a look, "I set this op up, I've been running undercover on this for months, and I'm telling you this is a major 'meth' lab." He said.

Rick lowered his gun, and looked around the empty room as two other officers walked in.

"Yeah Deeks, you're Intel is so solid, look around you man, there's nothing here!" Rick holstered his gun in frustration,

"I know I was right I followed her for a month, it was here! She was here!"

"WHO!" Rick shouted he was as mad as hell; he'd been pulled from his regular assignment to be partnered with the station loser. "You're losing it man; you should have stayed with the soft squad."

Deeks balled his fists up, he knew that he had a bad reputation with the LAPD, but Kensi, Callen and Sam were an exceptional team and he knew it.

"I still don't get why you are with us anyway, they get tired of you?" Rick jeered.

"Shut up Santini," Deeks growled.

"Awww…."

"No, Shut up, I heard something," Deeks snapped drawing his gun and walking to a room they hadn't cleared at the back.

The door opened to a walkway where the last of the 'Meth-heads' had been clearing out the rest of the stock, there were offices on the walkway but both men's attention was gripped by the activities below.

"LAPD FREEZE!" Santini yelled drawing his weapon.

Deeks heard a noise in the room behind him.

"Carla…Freeze LAPD."

"Max, you…you're a cop?" she ran at him and they tumbled over the railing going through a window as they went landing on the floor in a shower of glass and white powder, Carla had landed wrong, he knew by looking at her that she had broken her neck. Deeks had gotten close to the scientist while undercover he reached out and stroked a stray hair from around her face, "Carla." He sighed he tried to move, but another cop ran up to him, "Don't move helps coming."

* * *

He reached back at something sticking in his back, there was a syringe sticking out of his shoulder blade but he knocked it out trying to scratch the itch.

"What's that?" The officer asked.

Deeks looked at it, "Dunno." He shrugged. He sat up, "Look I'm fine Carla took the brunt of it, I have to go,"

Officer Zach Collis looked at him, "Marty? This is your collar,"

Deeks shook his head, brushing the pieces of glass out of his hair. "I had the empty rooms this is all Santini's he's in charge, besides I have to get back to my cushy job."

Not even caring he tried to walk out.

"Deeks you may have concussion." Zach called.

"So," Deeks just walked and walked, he didn't really care, he knew that Carla Ford was dead, even though he had been working to take her down he had been stunned by her brilliance and he had liked her. It hit him hard and he wondered if he had actually hurt himself, his head felt muzzy and all he wanted to do was lie down and sleep.

Nothing mattered anymore.

He walked for an hour the phone in his pocket buzzed like an annoying fly and he really wanted it to shut up.

"WHAT!" he snapped as he finally answered it,

"Deeks, you ok man?" Callen asked concerned on the other end.

"Why do you care?" He snapped, "Need me for your cushy job." He asked as he opened the door of the house he was standing in front of.

"Marty?"

"What! Why does everyone keep using my first name today," he shucked off his shoes and picked up a comic sitting on a dusty table.

"Sweet!"

"Sweet?" Callen said.

"You still there, aint ya got better things to do?" Deeks yawned bored.

In ops where Callen had finally reached and had the call transferred to the rest of the team were listening in.

"Mr. Deeks you need to come in so you can get cleared by a medical professional." Hetty said.

"Aww, but Hetty I'm tired I'll do it later…." Deeks picked up a remote control and they heard the sounds of cartoons playing in the background.

'Cartoons?' Kensi mouthed to Sam.

"We think you could have been injected with something, you may be suffering the effects." Hetty continued. "You're fellow officers were concerned about you." She finished.

Deeks laughed, "Yeah sure they were, tell 'em I'm dead."

"Mr. Deeks are you contemplating self harm?" she asked.

"Huh, am I doing what?"

"Are you thinking about hurting yourself Deeks?" Sam asked

"Huh?" Deeks sounded distracted,

"Deeks, what happened?"

"Dunno, come on….I'm tired…lemme sleep ok, I promise whatever it is I'll do it tomorrow."

Kensi looked at Callen and Sam who were already heading out of the door.

"Deeks, Callen and Sam are coming to you."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you don't sound like yourself partner."

"Partner?" Deeks yawned…"Don't have a partner?"

"Deeks?"

"Who?"

He stumbled into his room and they heard his phone hit the floor.

"Deeks? … Deeks!" Kensi called.

All they heard was a crash and running feet.

* * *

Callen and Sam turned up at Deeks' place and were immediately assailed by a hungry and desperate Monty. Sam let the dog out and fed him while Callen looked for Deeks, first the bathroom and then the bedroom. But there was no sign of him.

"Eric, are you sure he's here?" Callen asked after calling him.

Eric tapped on his phone. "No…he's in a house in Reseda. It's…" Eric stopped as he read the details on the screen, "It's not his house, it's a house registered to a Louise Brandel."

"Does she still live there?" Kensi asked recognizing the name instantly; Deeks had told her that Brandel was the man he had shot as a kid.

"Oh." Hetty said in surprise,

"What?" Callen asked instantly picking up on her tone.

"Well, that is Mr. Deeks' childhood home." She said surprised, "He owns it but he swore he would never go back there."

"Why?" Callen asked confused as he and Sam walked out of Deeks' apartment towards Sam's Challenger.

"It was not a very happy place for him, I cannot see what would have caused him to go back there now?" she said worried.

Callen sat as Sam drove, "What about Louise Brandel? A girlfriend of the man he shot?" Callen asked,

"Wife," Hetty confirmed, "Mr. Deeks' mother."

Callen shot Sam a look, "His mother?"

"Where is she now?" Sam asked.

"Central California's women's facility doing 20 years for Child endangerment and neglect, Abandonment and for giving a controlled substance to a minor." She said grimly, she knew that Deeks would hate for that fact to become knowledge but her gut told her this was the right thing to do.

Kensi looked horrified, "How old was he when she was arrested?" she asked.

"Ten, He was left with his father until he was eleven."

Callen and Sam pulled up outside a ramshackle house, the windows were boarded and the garden was overgrown.

"This is Deeks' childhood home?" Sam asked he took a picture and sent it to Eric for authentication.

"I bet it looked better years ago though." Callen said.

Eric pulled up a newspaper cutting from 1989. The house was a bit lighter, the grass shorter and there was less graffiti but the house looked the same. The windows had been boarded up and there was a picture of an older man in handcuffs.

"That Deeks' dad?" Kensi asked.

Hetty nodded. "Yes it is, he died in 1998, Automobile accident, he was intoxicated."

"So why is he there?" Eric asked.

* * *

Callen and Sam carefully opened the door. "Deeks?" they called.

It was dusty and dark, the room was musty and the furniture looked like it had been there since the '70's. The only sign that someone had been there was the comic moved on the coffee table and Deeks' phone on the floor in the middle of the room.

"Found his cell." Callen said.

"Where is he?" Sam asked looking around in the gloom.

"Can't be far his pants are here." Callen grinned picking up Deeks' jeans with his wallet in.

They looked through the whole house, "I can't find him," Sam said annoyed, "he has to be here somewhere?"

They stopped in the hallway outside the bedrooms. "Where the heck could he have gone without his pants?" Sam snapped.

"Atchoo!"

Both agents whirled and pointed their guns at the closet door.

Callen opened it carefully.

At first they saw nothing. Then as Callen moved an old rag of a towel hanging from a piece of wood in the closet there was a movement. Callen followed it and quickly moved his gun behind his back.

Sam looked on in amazement as Callen crouched down.

"Hey there kid, are you ok?"

A blond haired blue eyed boy looked fearfully at them and nodded.

"You wanna come out so we can talk to you?" Callen asked as Sam caught on and put his weapon away.

"Hetty we've got a kid here, but no sign of Deeks." Sam whispered.

"C…Can't…" the kid whispered.

"Why not?" Callen asked gently, "We're ok, we're police men."

At that the boy shrank back further, "I didn't say anything…you have to go he'll be back soon, if he finds you…." His voice was hushed and he was terrified, Callen could see that.

"We can stop him hurting you?" Callen said.

The kid shook his head, "No you can't. He's too big."

"Sam's bigger, we can help you…all you have to do is tell us your name."

The kid was shaking with tears rolling down his cheeks, "M….M…." he sniffed, "My name is Martin."

Callen looked at Sam, "Maybe a relation?"

"Ok Martin, what's your surname?" he asked.

"B….Brandel?"

Callen heard a gasp in the earwig in his ear.

"Bring him here Mr. Callen." Hetty said.

Callen held out his hand and the boy took it.

He took two steps out of the closet and stopped, cowering at the sight of Sam.

"It's ok, he's a cop too, he won't hurt you, where's your mommy?" Callen asked.

Martin shrugged, "Momma got taken by the police men but she forgot to leave my medicine."

"Medicine?" Callen looked around for an inhaler or a medicine bottle.

Martin smiled, 'he had to be related to Deeks,' Callen thought. He watched as the kid ran to the living room and dived behind the couch and lifted a floorboard and took out packets of white powder. "Momma says coz I'm a little shit I have to have one a night to shut me up." He grinned. "They make funny pictures in my head,"

Sam looked at Callen in horror.

* * *

Callen smiled at the kid and took the box from him, "We had better take this with us." He said.

He looked at the kid who was wearing an old LAPD shirt, "You got anything else to wear kid?"

Martin ran into a small closet on the left and pulled out a box, he pulled on a pair of pants and some sneakers and a t-shirt with the A-team on it.

"Can…Can I take a comic, I have lots…I get one when I'm quiet." Martin said.

"Sure." Sam said.

Eyeing Sam warily Martin moved around the table and grabbed his comic.

Not turning his back on Sam he moved to the door.

"Ok Sir, I'm ready…you're sure my daddy won't mind?"

"Nope it's ok kid; I have a lady who really wants to meet you." Callen said "You wanna get in the car?" he asked as he opened the door.

Martin walked as far as the top step and stopped.

"I…I can't…." he shook.

"It's ok." Callen said crouching beside him.

Martin dropped to a ball and covered his head with his arms as he heard his father's voice, "You ain't ever to go outside boy, ya hear me!"

He whimpered and shook as his body remembered blow after blow he had received last time he'd tried to leave.

* * *

He didn't hear the other car pull up or the two women walking down the path.

"Oh My…" The elder of the two women exclaimed.

Martin stopped shaking and looked up. "S...Sorry," he sniffed. He had always been told not to cry in front of women as that was weak and no brat of Gordon John Brandel's was every going to be called weak.

Martin wiped his nose of the back of his hand; he noticed it shaking but said nothing.

Kensi looked at the shock on Hetty's face.

"Hetty, do you know this kid, is he related to Deeks?"

At that name Martin smiled, "You know Mr. Deeks, he and his wife live down the block; they have a dog called Sammy. Mr. Deeks is an Att….Attt…Law guy. He's gonna teach me to surf when I get big!" he looked around excited, "Can we go see them?" he asked.

"Maybe later on, Mr. D…Brandel, I need you to come with me first." Hetty said and took his hand he looked at her hard, "Do I know you?" he asked.

Hetty smiled, "its ok I work with those two policemen."

"OK." He said

He climbed in the backseat of Kensi's car and put his seatbelt on as he waited for the adults, looking out the window at the ocean longingly.

"So we found the kid, but where the heck is Deeks?" Sam asked.

"In the car," Hetty said.

"What?" Callen asked.

"I don't know how yet but the little boy we just put in the car, Ms Blye is your partner." She said. She turned to Callen and Sam, "Did he tell you about anything else? Medicine maybe?" she asked.

Callen handed her a box, "It looks like Heroin." He said grimly.

"Cocaine." Hetty corrected them.

Callen, Sam and Kensi looked at her like she was crazy, "How can you tell?"

"Because," Hetty said shooting a look at the little boy fidgeting in the car, "At aged ten, Mr. Deeks was addicted to Cocaine."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The team looked at the little boy sitting in the car he was looking around wanting to touch everything but trying not to get into trouble.

"Is he…is he addicted now?" Sam asked in a deep tone that Callen knew meant he was furious.

Hetty looked at him, "I don't know Mr. Hanna; we don't know what it was that made Mr. Deeks like this so we really don't know the effects of the drug on him."

"So what are we going to do with him?" Callen asked.

Hetty looked over at the boy who had stopped fidgeting and was staring intently at the group of grown-ups.

"We'll take him to the mission; Dr Mason is in residence today doing the staff physicals, so maybe he could do a workup on the boy." She said reluctant to refer to him as Deeks right now.

Kensi nodded and walked towards the car that held her pint sized partner.

Hetty turned to Callen and Sam, "Mr. Callen I need you to go with Mr. Hanna to get over to LAPD and find out what happened on Mr. Deeks' last mission, we need to know about the scientist and what he may have been exposed to and hopefully we can bring the scientist in and they can fix Mr. Deeks." She said.

* * *

Deeks sat back and put his seatbelt on as Kensi got in the car.

He watched her, his eyes following every move she made. "You ok Marty?" Kensi asked as Hetty climbed in the front beside her.

"Uh huh." Marty nodded he bit his lip and scratched at his hair yawning as she started the car.

Kensi looked in the mirror as they drove and Marty started to drop off to sleep.

Pulling up outside the mission she shut the car door as Hetty got out.

"I will go and inform Dr. Mason of the situation, would you bring young Marty?" she asked.

Kensi nodded and opened the door. "Deeks?" she called quietly, but the boy didn't move, "Marty?"

Marty opened his eyes and yawned he rubbed them once or twice and Kensi could help but wonder if this would be what his children would look like one day. His eyes opened wider when he realized he was outside. "I…" he looked around in panic, he didn't know where he was, but he did know he wasn't home and his dad didn't seem to be around, then he saw the police lady. "I…I'm sorry." He said, he wasn't allowed to sleep when he had to go outside.

"It's ok," she smiled, "You've had a busy day."

Deeks climbed out of the car, his comic tightly gripped in his hand and tripped over his shoelace and fell awkwardly onto the floor. He stood up and wiped his bloody nose not making a sound.

"Are you ok?" Kensi asked looking at the cut lip and bloody nose he had from the fall.

"Yes ma'am." Deeks said his big blue eyes filling with tears but he wasn't crying.

Kensi looked at him, "Oh Deeks." She said.

Marty looked at her, "Is he here?" he asked hopefully. Andrew Deeks and his wife Susan were kind to him and he loved them dearly. "Are they coming to look after me?"

"I don't know." Kensi said, but she resolved to find out as much information on the couple as she could.

* * *

They walked into the mission and Hetty looked at the injuries on Marty's face.

"Agent Blye what happened to Master Brandel's face."

"I fell it wasn't her fault Ma'am!" Marty piped up quickly shrinking back as he realized he'd just spoken aloud to a grownup.

"He fell over his laces," Kensi said moving to do them up for him.

"I'm sorry I'm stupid." Marty said.

"Who said you were stupid?" Kensi asked gently looking at the worried face of her tiny partner.

"I…My Daddy said I should not be a stupid bar…barst…" Deeks stopped searching for the word he wanted and failed.

"You are not stupid, do you want me to show you how to tie your laces?" she asked as she nodded for Hetty to get the doctor.

Deeks nodded and he clambered up onto the chair that actually was his own in the bullpen.

Kensi knelt down and Deeks watched with rapt concentration as she showed him how to tie his laces.

"Has no one ever shown you?" she asked.

Deeks shook his head, "No, Momma said I should learn at school that's what it's for, but they can all do it, when I asked the teacher said ask my momma. So I did, she said if I asked again that she'd tie them around my neck, but I can't do that with my feet in them." He said innocently confused.

* * *

Kensi turned away hiding the look on her face as Hetty and Dr. Mason walked in.

"Hello?" Sheila Mason knelt down and looked at the little boy, "That looks like it hurts would you like me to have a look at it?" she said.

Deeks looked at her.

Sheila smiled, "its ok I'm a doctor I'll make it all go away."

Deeks' eyes went wide and he scrambled off the chair and across the room hiding behind the sofa Callen usually slept on.

"No!" he said moving as far as he could.

"Marty she's not going to hurt you," Kensi said crouching down near him.

"She's a doctor!" he exclaimed in terror, "They_** kill**_ children!" he told her in and awed hushed tone as if she didn't know that.

"Nonsense!" Shelia exclaimed, "Who told you that?"

"Momma and daddy, they said if I told…." His eyes went wider, "It's my fault I told? So you have to kill me now because I told…" he waited and worked it through in his head, "But…But I didn't tell, the policemen found me…but I didn't tell honest! Can you not kill me?" he asked the doctor biting his lip worriedly.

Shelia smiled, "I'm a nice doctor and I do NOT kill children, but I do have these." She produced a Tootsie Pop from inside her coat and handed it out towards him.

Marty looked at Kensi who nodded so he knew it was ok.

Taking the sucker he put it in his mouth and he smiled as the sweet flavor flooded over his tongue "I like these!" he exclaimed with a huge grin on his face, "What are they?"

All the adult looked at each other, "They are tootsie pops, Marty, you know candy?"

Marty shook his head, swinging his legs off the edge of the desk that Kensi had lifted him up onto.

The doctor moved, "I need to take your t-shirt off and look at you, so I can hear your heart," she showed him the stethoscope and let him hear her heart.

He looked at her worried, "Does it hurt?" he asked.

"The stethoscope?" she asked confused.

"The thumpy thing?" Deeks asked.

Sheila smiled, "No sweetie that's my heart, you have one too, listen." She went to take his shirt off and he shrank back, "It won't hurt and we will hear your heart." She promised.

His curiosity won out and he pulled his t-shirt over his head, oblivious to the worried looks of the adults who gasped at the bruises and the track marks on his arms.

Shelia turned her back to him, "I think this child was abused, maybe you should be looking for his parents." She said, "I will be taking a blood sample to see if he has drugs in his system."

"Thank you. Dr. Mason, but this will need to be tested here." Hetty said.

She nodded, she didn't know why, but she knew enough to follow Hetty's lead.

She gently prodded him, watching as he winced and hid the pain only showing a tear as the doctor took a needle and extracted a blood sample from the child.

Marty looked at the doctor funny, and she turned, "What's wrong Marty?"

"Did you just give me my medicine? Its daytime, do I have to go to bed now before the funny pictures start? I don't like them, you said you were nice." He said with a bit of accusation in his voice.

"I didn't give you any medicine, can you tell me who gave you the medicine?" she asked gently.

"Momma did, daddy gave it to her."

Shelia looked at the little boy who tugged at her heartstrings.

* * *

"Do you want to play?" Hetty asked pulling his t-shirt back over his head.

"Can I play with Ray?" he asked. "He's my bestest friend." He grinned.

"I think Ray is busy, but we have so pens and paper you can draw pictures."

"Drawing is for girls." Deeks repeated by rote. He heard his father's voice in his head as he said it and flinched.

"What do you like to do?" Hetty asked.

Deeks looked around the room he spotted Hetty bottle of drink. "I can pour you a drink Ma'am, Daddy says I should be a bartender when I grow up so I can give him free drinks, I'm really good at it so ya don't have to hit me or nothin'" he grinned. He hated the honey colored drink but he knew that it made the adults happy.

"Actually I prefer a cup of tea." Hetty said. "I will show you how to make it if you wish and you can join me."

"What's tea?" Deeks asked.

"It is a drink from a bush, from Asia." She said, it wasn't a full explanation, but the boy was ten, "It's my favorite drink," she admitted, "What's yours?" she asked.

Deeks looked at her and crossed his legs on the armchair her had moved to, "I…I don't like scotch…it tastes like wood, Daddy says Beer is a man's drink, but I don't want to drink that if that's ok with you ma'am, unless you think I should Daddy says I'm an ungrateful little brat, I don't mean to be…but it makes my head hurt. Oh!" Marty smiled, "I had a grape soda once…I think that's the bestest drink ever, Ray got me some he stoled it," Deeks suddenly looked at her in horror, "He won't get into trouble will he, it was my fault I was hungry and he was getting us both dinner."

Hetty gave a sad smile, "No Mr. Brandel, your friend Ray will not be in trouble."

"Can…Can I tell you a secret?" he asked looking around so no one else would here.

Kensi had gone with the doctor and the whole floor was bereft of people.

"You may tell me anything and I will not tell the others." Hetty promised.

"Ray says he and me are gonna run away, we is gonna go to the beach and live like the turtles. He knows a way to stop Daddy hurting me…" he looked around and his voice dropped to a whisper, "He gave me a gun." He breathed.

"They are very dangerous," Hetty told the boy.

"So's daddy." Marty said flatly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Callen and Sam stood outside Central California's women's facility and looked at each other,

"Are you ready for this?" Callen asked knowing how much, cases involving children upset Sam and even worse in this case as the child was Deeks.

They walked up to the gate and showed their credentials, arriving at the reception they were met by the warden, "Good afternoon gentlemen, my name is Emily Blake and I'm the warden here. I wanted to meet you personally as you had asked to see Louise Brandel, may I ask what it's about, she only ever gets one visitor, but she never sees him."

Both men looked confused.

"Who is her visitor and how often does he come?" Sam asked.

"Oh every week without fail, I don't think he'd be behind anything bad though, he's a cop. A detective Deeks, he's here every Sunday afternoon, sometimes in the evening, but she refuses to see him."

Callen shot Sam a look. "It's about him that we are here. Can you tell us, do you know Detective Deeks' relationship to Louise Brandel?" they asked.

Emily shook her head, "I think he was looking into her case, she won't talk about him. He's a lovely guy though I can't see him ever doing anything wrong."

"What can you tell us about Louise Brandel?" Sam asked.

"Sad case, one of my first new inmates when I became warden. She was brought in for Child endangerment and neglect, Abandonment and for giving a controlled substance to a minor; I saw the file a sweet little kid called Martin. He'd not been at school for about a month when Child services raided his home, found the poor little boy, high on cocaine and suffering from concussion, a broken arm and 3 broken ribs, multiple bruising all over his body and his mother proudly admitting to it, blamed the kid, said he stole her stash. I heard he got placed with his father who then tried to kill him; kid fought back and last I heard put himself through school and became a youth advocacy lawyer."

Sam looked shocked at that, the goofy Deeks they all knew was a stark contrast to the man they were learning about.

"Well Warden Blake can we see Brandel?" Callen asked.

"Of course, if she'll see you. Obviously considering the fact we cannot get her lawyer out here and the fact that you are both men I will have to be present." She said.

"Of course, thank you." Callen said and waited as she led the way to the room where Louise Brandel was sitting at a visiting Table.

* * *

Her hair was blond and straw like with a hint of grey her blue eyes dulled by the years of incarceration. She was thin and sat nursing a coffee she had been given, her orange jumpsuit and sneakers making her look worn and tired.

"Mrs. Brandel?" Sam asked showing his badge. "Agent Sam Hanna and Agent Callen, NCIS. We'd like to talk to you ma'am." He said sitting across from her.

She smiled, "Ma'am…I haven't been called that in a long long time." She said, "How can I help you boys."

"We are here about your son." Callen said.

Louise's face contorted and looked mad, "What's he done now! The little shit lying about me again?"

"No ma'am he's been injured in an accident."

"Good he can stop coming here to rub my face in it, yes I know he put me in here, but week after week having the little bastard show up here, with a fake name asking to see me, he is a Brandel…he should be groveling, not flashing his stupid pretend badge telling everyone his name is Deeks and he's a cop. He can't be a cop, he's too stupid, and you should arrest him for impersonating a police officer."

"His name is Deeks and he is a good officer, we just wanted to ask you a bit about when he was a child?"

"It's all lies, Martin is a good for nothing lying little bastard just like his father…I tried so hard so many many times I would give him his medicine and he would wake up! I mean I never wanted him in the first place, who would want that…I bet you guys have even seen how useless he is." She said.

Sam glanced at the floor ashamed he did think that Deeks was not as good a cop as the rest of them.

Callen shook his head and looked at Emily Blake, "We're done here." He said as they got up to leave.

* * *

On the way out Emily stopped them, "Do you mean to tell me that the nice young detective who tries to see her week after week is her son?" she asked shocked.

"He never said?" Callen asked.

"No but it explains a lot, he would always leave money so she had money to spend in the prison shop, he would send her a phone card for Christmas and her birthday and he would purchase toiletries so she would have access to everything she needs. I just thought he was being nice, but he still comes, he came the day before yesterday." Emily shrugged "I am amazed I think if it had been my mother, I would never have come, what about you Agent Callen?" she asked smiling.

"I'm an orphan." Callen said and walked over to the reception to sign out.

"I'm so sorry." She said to Sam, "I had no idea."

Sam smiled, "I know, he's usually not this touchy, but Detective Deeks is a co-worker and good friend, we are just worried about him."

"That's ok; if you need anything else please don't hesitate to call me." She handed him her card.

* * *

Marty sat in a huge overstuffed armchair in the back of Hetty's office where no one could see him, his little legs not even reaching to the edge of the chair holding a hot chocolate that Kensi had decided that he needed to try.

Marty's eyes had lit up and the huge mug with whipped cream, Marshmallows and chocolate curls that sat on top of the warm drink. He had stared at it for over an hour before Hetty and Nate walked over to the boy.

"You don't like it?" Nate asked. Softly not wanting to startle the boy. He hadn't believed it when Hetty had called him and asked him to come over to OSP to evaluate a 10 year old Marty Deeks.

"It's the most beautiful thing I ever saw; I don't want to ruin it." Marty said in awe.

"You're supposed to drink it." Nate said smiling.

"But…" Marty started and then he stopped he wasn't supposed to ask questions or answer any for that matter.

"But…" Nate prompted.

"What if I never get another one?" he asked fearfully.

"You will have more; I'll make you one myself later." Nate promised.

Marty looked at him weighing his words. It reminded Nate of when he had Callen in for his psych evals. He nodded and then drank the chocolate down getting whipped cream and chocolate curls on his nose and he giggled.

His eyes grew wide in excitement and Nate turned to the boy, "Are you ok?" he asked.

"It's absolutely the bestest thing in the whole entire universe!" Marty said excited. "Have you ever had one?" he asked awed.

Nate nodded, "Yep, I had one this morning with my breakfast."

"Wow!" Marty stood stunned. "You had one of those for breakfast?!" he asked.

Nate shook his head, "I had one with my breakfast, you know like cereal, toast, juice?"

Marty shook his head, "Uh huh, that's not breakfast!" he said frowning,

Nate looked at him, "Ok, what's breakfast?" he asked.

Marty shook his head at him, "Whatever's left in the bin silly. Momma and Daddy eat and then for breakfast sometimes they leave me some…I don't like the cigarette butts much, but I takes them out and I found a fortune cookie the other day, it had real words and everything!" Marty started rooting through his pocket. He pulled out a faded piece of paper. "It didn't look like this yesterday?" he said confused, "But look words just like in my comic book…Ray's teaching me my words, look see that' it spells THE." He grinned "Ray taughted me."

Nate looked at the child confused; Marty had put himself through school and passed the bar at 21, but just eleven years before that he couldn't read?

"You can't read?" he asked.

Marty looked up at him and his face crumbled, "I…I can too…look…!" he picked up his comic book and read they comic book aloud from start to finish, "S…See I can too read!" he said biting his lip.

"Can you read this?" Nate handed him a piece of an old report after checking there was nothing too gruesome on it.

Marty picked up the paper "A..Ag…Age…ent Han…na…Dis…Dis….!" Marty placed the paper on the desk and stood in front of Nate with his head bowed, "I'm sorry sir, I…can't read and I am stupid for trying, I'm just goofing off again." He said a tear falling onto the carpet.

"Marty?" Nate looked confused

"Sir?" Marty asked.

"Yes Marty?"

"Can…can you please just hit me sir, I…I don't like the base…basement…it has spiders down there." He closed his eyes and tensed waiting for the fists he was sure were about to come for lying.

"What?! Why would you think I would hit you?" Nate asked shocked,

"Coz I tried to be a smart Alec, Ray always says I should think before I tell people I can do stuff, I should listen to him Sir, he's my bestest friend." He said.

"I know Hetty told me," Nate said with a smile, "It's nice to have friends like that."

Marty looked worried, "You won't tell will you?" he asked worried.

"Who would I tell?" Nate asked gently.

Marty clammed up, "I..I'm not allowed to say?"

Nate moved off the desk and crouched next to Marty on the floor. "Marty, it's ok, you can talk to me about anything you know. Can you tell me about what it's like to live with mommy and daddy?"

"'s ok." Marty shrugged.

"Would you like to live somewhere else if you could?" Nate asked.

Marty looked at his feet and shrugged. "No one else would have me I'm a waste of space. I know that. daddy says so." he told Nate sadly.

"Has anyone ever wanted you?" Nate asked.

"No...I went to school once, I snuck in but the teachers kicked me out because I didn't belong, momma said it's coz I is too stupid to go to school. I always wanted to fit in and have friends. maybe when I'm big." he said his mind wondering as to how he would be when he was big. "I wanna be smart and help people when I get big."

Marty looked at Nate, "Do you think when I get big I could have lots of friends and...and a dog...and I could help people?" he asked.

Nate smiled, "You know what Marty, I think you might. I just think you might."

Marty smiled and ran over to Hetty, "Mr. Nate said I could be smart and help people when I gets big!" he exclaimed with the biggest grin on his face, "I likes Mr. Nate...Can he stay with me or a while. or does he have to go?" he asked his face already a mask waiting for the no.

Hetty sighed, "Mr. Brandel, I need to talk to Mr. Nate a moment, can you wait on the couch for him, I'll send him over to you when we've finished.

Hetty sat at her desk, "Well?" she asked.

"Definitely an abusive upbringing, he's got a huge desire to please but he's terrified of disappointing anyone." Nate said looking over at the boy who was making a paper airplane and flying it on the couch. "He's smarter than we thought Hetty, did you know he can't read?" Nate waited for Hetty to answer.

"No? but he passed the bar at 21!" Hetty said.

"Ray taught him to read, he snuck into a school because his parents didn't bother to enrol him and they made him leave, he is scared of rejection and from what he said he was neglected as a child as well, his idea of breakfast is his parents dinner trash."

Marty started rubbing his arms and looking cold. he wrapped his arms around himself as a familiar pain started "Miss Hetty?" Marty asked walking towards the pair shaking but keeping his distance. "Will I be having my medicine tonight?" he asked.

Hetty and Nate turned around, "Of course not." she said shocked.

Marty gritted his teeth, "Ok." he said he held himself tighter as stood sadly.

Nate walked over to him, "Marty are you ok?" He asked putting a hand on his shoulder.

Marty yelped as his eyes rolled into his head and he fainted.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Hetty picked up the phone and dialed Dr. Mason as Callen and Sam walked into the bullpen with Monty trailing listlessly behind.

"Deeks?" Callen said shocked as he saw the boy fall, he ran to where Nate was holding him. "What happened?" He asked.

"He asked if he was going to have his medicine and then he just fainted." Nate said scared.

Dr Mason came running down the stairs, "I just finished his blood work," She said laying the boy out on the couch, "There is no trace of cocaine in his system, but there was a trace of Methamphetamines, about a few hours old. Someone said the boy was a cocaine addict? Was it since birth?" she asked as she checked his blood pressure and heart rate.

Hetty walked over to the doctor, "You're sure this is a new thing? He wouldn't take drugs voluntarily. Not after…." She walked over to the sleeping boy on the couch.

Marty shivered and groaned in his sleep. "No…daddy…don't…" he pulled the blanket Callen had draped over him over his head and curled into the fetal position.

Callen stood between the boy and everyone else.

* * *

Hetty nodded acknowledging what Callen was saying without actually saying anything. "Even though he may be asleep this is not the sort of conversation we want to have in front of the boy." She walked over to her office the doctor, Callen, Sam following. Kensi patted on the end of the couch and Monty jumped up curling at the feet of his master. Kensi pulled the blanket down, tucked Marty in, kissed his forehead and walked over to join them.

"What?!" she said at Sam's grin.

"Nothing…"

Callen grinned, "Sam, give her a break she's stuck…"

"…Smitten, whatever." Sam continued smiling.

Kensi walked over to where Nate was sitting in a chair in the back reading Deeks' file and sat on the arm next to him, resisting the urge to poke her tongue out at her two co-workers.

Dr Mason glanced at the sleeping boy and turned to the others, "Alright, Hetty has filled me in on the fact that Detective Deeks was…until you found him like this. An Adult." She started.

"We think he was infected…" Callen paused to look at the doctor to see if that was the right word, she nodded and he continued, "With whatever caused this during the drug bust with LAPD that he was on. He fell from a balcony according to officers that were on the scene and he brushed himself off, he walked off refusing medical attention," Callen looked over as Marty shifted on the couch. With a small grin he continued. "His change must have started then as his instinct was to return to his childhood home, not the home he has now."

"What do we know of Deeks as a child?" Kensi asked, "It might help us to help him now." She added.

Hetty looked at Nate and nodded.

Nate stood opening his file, "This is confidential, only the people in this room, and you two…" He said looking at the blinking light on the security camera, knowing Eric and Nell were watching, "Need to know this."

Kensi moved into Nate's former seat and they listened.

* * *

"According to Deeks' juvenile file, he was ten when his mother was sent to prison for child abuse, neglect and endangerment, she had tried to kill him twice already, however his father had explained his numerous breaks, cuts and bruises as accidents." Nate said.

"Child Services didn't pick up on it?" Sam asked.

Nate shook his head, "Until Deeks was ten and a half, apart from sneaking into a school once or twice he had never been, his parents had kept him out of the system." Nate waited, "Right now in this incarnation…" Nate stopped, he couldn't find a better word so he continued, "Deeks is ten, this is before he shot his father, but after his mother was taken away. Right now, Deeks is the same as he was then."

"So what does that mean?" Callen asked.

"His body thinks that the Meth he was exposed to is the cocaine he was addicted to as a child and is craving more, Dr Mason has given him a light sedative for now, hopefully he'll sleep through the worst of the cravings. He is the same as he was then, which means that forever which one of us that looks after him, he'll be a challenge."

"He's ten years old how much of a challenge can he be?" Sam asked.

"He's smart." Nate said quickly.

The others looked at him, "We know that." Callen snapped.

"No, you don't understand; right now Deeks can't read." Nate said

"So how does that make him smart?" Sam asked.

"He passed the bar at 21," Nate said.

"So?" Sam didn't get it.

Nate sighed, "If you pick any of the comic books in Deeks' collection right now he can tell you what it says word for word, he remembers everything he's told. I have done some rudimentary tests and I think he remembers everything he's ever been told."

"God!" Callen sank onto the edge of Hetty's desk, "Poor kid."

The others looked at him.

"He remembers every dream, every moment, all the abuse, the terror…" Callen stood up and paced the small area, "What can we do to help him?" he asked.

Sam still looked blank and Callen walked over to him, "Sam, during some of the worst moments of my childhood I blanked things out, the only way I could cope was by not remembering, if I had remembered everything I would have gone insane, he's lived through the same things I have, worse even…it was at the hands of his own parents and he remembers it all, every time his mother tried to kill him, every time his father raised his fist, every moment he had to dig through the trash for food."

"How did you know about that?" Nate asked.

Callen shrugged and turned away.

"Callen it would help if we knew," Nate said,

"I asked him if he was hungry, he looked over to the trash to see if there was anything to eat there before saying no." Callen admitted, "I've eaten from that restaurant myself."

* * *

The others looked at him but he had his back to them, "It's getting late, I'll take him with me until we know what's going on." Callen said.

Dr. Mason looked at the folder in her hand, "You will need to give him this medication, it is primarily for ADHD it is a low dosage form of Meth, and it'll help him with the cravings. We will lower it until he is off the drug completely."

"Dr. Mason…What about getting our Mr. Deeks back?" Hetty asked,

"I will have to do some more tests on him, but right now…I have no idea." She admitted.

"Mr. Callen are you sure you will be alright with young Marty?" Hetty asked.

"I think Callen is the most appropriate person to take him." Nate said

Callen looked over at Nate suspiciously. Nate smiled, "You'll need to buy furniture." He grinned.

Callen looked over at the sleeping boy, "I guess you're right, Sam you wanna…"

"No." Sam said standing up, "There is no way I'm going furniture shopping with you." He said holding his palms out.

"But?" Callen looked confused, "You're my partner."

"Yeah…A work partner, I go bed shopping with you, they are going to think I'm the 'other' kind of partner," he backed off.

"Good grief." Nell said walking into the office from upstairs, "I'll go with you Callen." She said.

"Kensi and I will paint Marty's room, your spare room is Pink Callen, it'll traumatize the boy if you put him in there and we'll get Monty settled and we will get groceries in." Sam said pulling Kensi up with him.

Nate smiled at Hetty as they split up at their appointed tasks. "This would be interesting from a purely scientific point of view." He said watching as Callen woke Marty up gently. Hetty nodded in agreement.

* * *

Callen walked over to the boy asleep and gently placed a hand on his arm, one ready behind his back.

Marty jumped and recoiled quickly from the touch Callen's other hand already in place to stabilize him as he went to fall.

"It's ok Marty, You're safe, I need you to wake up kiddo." Callen said squatting down to his eye level.

Marty sat up and rubbed his eyes, "Daddy?" he flinched and blinked and realized he wasn't at home. "Where am I?"

"You're at OSP…er like a police station, Do you remember me?" he asked.

"You found me…you took me away from…my Daddy…" Marty's eyes got wider with terror, "Is he here…is he gonna take me back?" he asked.

"No…Your daddy has gone away for a long time, he can't hurt you anymore." Callen said softly.

Marty nodded his head; "Ok…like momma…" he looked at his feet, "so…OK…" he got up and picked up his comic…"I have to go then…" he started walking to the door.

"Where are you headed sport?" he asked.

Marty shrugged, "Daddy said if he ever went away I'd be out on the street so I suppose…" he looked longingly at the sofa, "maybe Ray has room?"

Callen walked up to him, "Marty you are coming home with me." He told him.

"Why?" Marty looked suspicious.

"Because I have someone there that misses you and needs your help."

"Someone misses me?" Marty asked confused.

Callen smiled, "Yep, but first, you need a bed and so do I."

"You don't have a bed?" Marty looked confused, "But you're a grownup I know kids don't get beds but Grownups do."

"See that lady over there?" Callen stage whispered pointing to Hetty.

Marty nodded his eyes wide, "She's scary." He whispered back.

"She is and she told me to go and buy both of us new beds and a couch and a TV and movies and you some clothes and toys." He grinned.

"Is she a Santa elf?" Marty asked in awe.

Nate stifled a laugh as he listened in.

"You know I think she is," Callen said, "And she's sending another Elf with us."

Marty grabbed Callen's hand. "We'd better be good Mr. Santa is all knowing…Ray said so."

"Just call me Callen kid." Callen smiled as Nell walked up.

"OK I have Santa's list here, we have a lot to get are you boys ready?"

"Yes Ma'am!" they said in unison.

Nell walked out the door with Callen and Marty following behind.

"Do you think she has reindeer?" Marty asked as the door shut.

Nate dissolved into laughter as Hetty grinned over at him. "Scientific research." She scoffed.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Marty sat wide eyed in the back of Callen's car as he, Nell and Callen headed to the mall. He kept stealing glances at Nell and the tablet in her hand. They parked up and Callen opened the door.

"Out you get sport." Callen said as Marty climbed out and stood next to the car.

He kept an eye on Callen as he locked up the car. Nell came around and held out her hand, "Are you ready?" she asked.

Not saying a word Marty held her hand. He looked up at her, "Will I be coming back?" he asked his voice slightly afraid.

She smiled, "You will, but I hope you're feeling strong because we are going to be carrying a lot of presents."

"Presents?" he asked.

Nell smiled, "Santa can't bring everything so he sent me with you and Callen to find what you needed."

Marty looked awed, "But Santa doesn't come to my house, Daddy said he only goes to good little boys, I ain't a good boy." He said.

Nell smiled, "I told Santa about you, he said you are a very good boy and that your daddy made a mistake, he's sorry he couldn't get to you before and this is his way of making sure that you have a great Christmas and everything you need." She stood back as Callen opened the door to the mall.

Marty stopped and looked up at the brightly colored decorations and the lights festooning the Mall. "Wow!"

He looked at all the children in their best clothes shopping and noticed what he was wearing, "Am…am I allowed in here?" he asked.

Callen lifted him up and put him on his shoulders. "Sure" he hated the fact that at Ten years old Deeks was small, thin and very light, lighter than he should be. Never mind the unlimited credit card Hetty had given him, he was determined to make sure this boy had fun; While he could.

* * *

"Look Callen!" Marty pointed across the heads of people who were doing their Christmas shopping, "Reindeer!" he squealed happily.

Callen laughed and Nell looked at him, she'd never heard Callen laugh like that.

"Shall we go and see them?" Callen asked.

"Can we?" he asked.

"We should ask Santa's elf?" Callen grinned looking over at Nell.

Nell laughed and grabbed Callen's hand, "Off we go then." She said as they all headed in that direction.

Callen felt Marty's hands tighten on his shoulders as they got closer, "You wanna get down champ?" Callen asked and Marty nodded feeling nervous at the sight of the reindeer and the people in elf costumes.

They walked closer to the reindeer and Nell pulled Callen down and whispered in his ear, Callen nodded and Nell disappeared into the crowd.

Marty reached out his hand and touched the reindeer, jumping back at the warmth of their fur, "Callen! They're warm," he grinned as a reindeer turned its head to look at him. A woman dressed in an elf costume came running over to them, "Excuse me…but are you Martin Brandel?" she asked.

Marty grabbed Callen's hand and moved closer to him as the elf winked at Callen, "Yes Ma'am I didn't mean to touch the reindeer." Marty said quickly.

She smiled, "They like that, but I need your help, Santa's been looking for you for months! I told him I thought I saw you in the crowd.

"You know me?" he asked worried.

She smiled and handed him a candy cane, "I'm an elf, I know all the children, we couldn't find you, you've been on the good little boy list for years and we've been looking everywhere for you. Do you want to come and see Santa?" she asked.

Marty nodded and looked up at Callen, "Can I?"

Callen smiled and crouched down to the boy, "Can I come with you?" he asked, "I've never met Santa." He admitted,

The woman turned to him, "So you must be Callen, we've been looking for you too!"

Marty giggled. Callen smiled playing along and held his hand as they both walked into Santa's grotto.

* * *

Santa stood up and walked towards Callen, "Ah my boy, you must be Marty…although you're a bit taller than I thought you'd be?"

Marty stifled a laugh not wanting to be disrespectful, but he tugged on Santa's pants.

"Sir…I'm…M…Marty, that's Callen he's my friend." He said looking up at the man in red.

"So he is!" Santa laughed and hugged the boy, "Come along I have a special chair for you both to sit on."

They walked over to Santa's chair and there was a big velvet chair next to it, "Do you want a cookie?" Santa asked, "Mrs. Claus makes them, they are really nice," he handed one to Callen and Marty.

The man smiled, he could see both of them were uncomfortable, but he'd been called about an hour ago with the story of both men and was determined to make this special.

"So Marty, I hear this is going to be your first Christmas with Callen here."

Marty nodded.

"I have something for you, I know you really wanted it although I had meant to deliver this last year, only I couldn't find your house."

Marty looked sad. "Daddy turns the lights out so you can't find us." He said.

"I have this for you, so no matter where you are you can find me." Santa said pulling a lantern out of his bag, "you put it on your window ledge and I'll find you." He said.

Callen smiled at the kind gesture.

"Also, I know you really wanted this," he pulled out another parcel, Marty opened it and his eyes went wide, "MY TRAIN! YOU GOT MY TRAIN!" he grinned from ear to ear.

Callen looked on; most boys' Marty's age had wanted a train hadn't they?

"Look Callen, Santa got my train!" Marty practically shoved it in Callen's face as he showed him in excitement. "Thank you Santa!" he yelled as he hugged him.

Callen took Marty's hand looked around for Nell, "Come on Marty, we have to find Nell."

"Oh you mean my elf, she's busy, besides we aren't finished yet." Santa said,

Callen automatically moved his hand to his holster. "How do you know about Nell?"

"She is one of my Elves, she has something I need and she'll be here soon."

Callen glowered at him, "G. Callen, you are one of my most stubborn children, I have something for you too."

Callen looked at him suspiciously, "It's ok Callen, it's the real Santa." Marty said, reassuringly patting his arm.

Santa pulled a long parcel out of his bag, the wrapping looked older and not as new, "I was asked for this a long time ago, but you moved so much, when it was time to deliver it you were gone."

Callen opened the parcel and swallowed the lump in his throat as he saw a shining red fire truck. "I…How?..."

Santa pulled out a letter; it was old and was written in red crayon. "Dear Santa, I know you can't get me a mommy or daddy, the worker tells me you don't do that…but could I have a shiny red fire truck for my very own that I don't have to give away to the bigger kids." He read.

Callen stood back and swallowed a tear in his eye, "How?" he asked again his voice scratchy.

"I'm Santa." The old man said with a smile.

Marty ran up to Callen and whispered in his ear. Santa laughed, "Yes you can pet the reindeer before you leave." He handed him a carrot, "Dasher likes these the best." He said.

Marty grabbed Callen and with a quick thank you they ducked out again.

* * *

Hetty and Nell came out from behind the curtain, "Thank you." Hetty said to 'Santa'.

Santa laughed, "When you told me about this how could I not help."

Hetty smiled, "I really wanted to give him that fire truck when I first saw the letter in his file, but with the homes he was in his stuff was being stolen, this is good for both of them." She hugged Santa, "I owe you one Mac." She said.

Mac Smiled, "Nope this one's for Mr. Callen and the little kid it's on the house."

Nell turned to Hetty, "You'd better get going, I'll take them shopping now." She said.

* * *

Walking up to them Nell grabbed Callen's hand, "Did Santa go well?" she asked.

Callen looked at the bag in his hand, "Perfect." He said.

"But we need to get the furniture for Marty first." Callen said,

Nell smiled, "I saw just the store."

They walked over to the furniture store and Marty looked at all the kids beds, there were beds of all different types, metal framed, box divans, bunk beds. Marty walked over looking at them all, stopping at a train shaped bed, running his hand over the carved wood and the carried on walking over to a small metal framed bed in the corner.

Callen had stood back with Nell watching him, his eyes had lit up when he'd seen beds for kids, but he had looked at the different prices too and the one bed he had stopped in front of was the cheapest bed in the store.

"This one will be good." Marty said looking at the others.

Callen looked at it, "Nope I don't think so."

Marty looked around he couldn't see any that were cheaper. "I really don't need a bed, they're all so expensive," he said.

Callen pulled Nell by the hand and stood in front of the bed Marty had looked at, "What do you think lil pixie, Do you think Santa would approve of this one?"

"But Mr. ...I mean, Callen, it's so much money!" Marty exclaimed, "You can't spend that money on me?"

Callen smiled, "Yes I can, Santa's paying remember." He turned to the store manager who had walked up behind them, "We'll take this one, to go...with a big bouncy mattress."

"And we need train bedding to fit it." Nell smiled.

She walked over to the kids bed sets and pulled a Duvet and pillow set. and then she grabbed a bigger one. "Now isn't there another bed to buy?" She asked grinning at Callen.

* * *

Callen laughed as Marty jumped on the mattresses on the bigger beds as Callen and Nell looked at the beds together.

"Do you think Hetty knows?" Callen asked as he kissed her hand.

Nell shook her head, then she stopped and nodded, "Maybe that's why she smiled when I offered to go."

Callen laughed again, "I knew if I asked Sam he'd run a mile, and I didn't want to pick one you didn't like." he said.

"Callen! Nell!" Marty said jumping off a sleigh style king sized bed his hair all in disarray and out of breath. "This one!" he said, "It's perfect."

Nell looked it over and then looked at Callen, "You know I think he's right." she declared.

Callen looked at the bed and agreed with them, "So no more sleeping over at your place then." he grinned.

Nell rolled her eyes and swatted him, "Come on G."

They paid for their purchases plus the extra charge for having them delivered that day assuring the salesman that there were people there to accept the goods, they left.

They went to another store and brought a table, chairs, crockery and a sofa. Then Callen brought a 50 inch plasma TV with a DVD player and a stack of child friendly DVD's.

He took the DVD's to the car as Nell took Marty to a clothing store.

* * *

Marty stood in awe at the racks upon racks of boys clothes.

"Why are they hanging there?" he asked.

"So you can look through them and pick what you like."

"From inside the store?!" Marty looked shocked.

Nell walked over to him as he reached out to touch a t-shirt with a surfer on it.

"Marty where did you get your clothes before?"

"In the big black bags outside the charity shops." he said.

Nell sighed and gave him a hug, "I will get you underwear, socks and shoes...What size are you?" she asked.

"I'm a 3." he said

"Shall we check," Nell called an assistant over. "Can we check his shoe size please?" she asked.

The assistant took his sneakers off and put him on a measuring machined, flattening his toes out as he scrunched them up, "He's a 5." she said and went off to get him sneakers, shoes and slippers.

Marty sat on a stool swinging his legs as Callen walked in, "You guys ok?" he asked.

"Yep, just been getting his feet measured, he's a five, I'm going to pick up some underwear and when you guys have shoes, you can pick out four t-shirts and seven shirts." she said.

Marty started fidgeting and then the assistant came over with the shoes and Marty put his foot inside them. "Callen, my toes aren't squished, are they too big?" he asked.

"Do they hurt?" the assistant asked.

Marty shook his head, "No...I've never had shoes that don't hurted before." he grinned.

The assistant smiled, "I'm glad you like them." She stood up and walked over to Callen, "Your son's shoes were too small, you should get his feet checked regularly, he's a sweet little boy." she gave him an angry stare.

Callen flashed his badge, "Ma'am this boy is not my son, he's a federal witness rescued this morning from an abusive home."

"I...I'm sorry, if there's anything else the poor kid needs?" she said.

"T-shirts!" Marty grinned, "Miss Nell, (She's Santa's elf you know) she said I could get four t-shirts and seven whole shirts!" he grinned at her, he took the assistant's hand and pulled her to the rack, "I liked this one it's got a real surfer on it." he said pointing to it.

By the time Nell got back with her purchases for him, Marty had three assistants eating out of his hand and Callen watching from a chair with an amused smile on his face taking a video on his cell phone.

"I figured Kensi would want to see this, and maybe Deeks when he gets better,"

"Aww that's so cute," Nell smiled.

"Nell! I got four just like you said and Seven shirts look, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7." he counted them all out.

"Great Marty I got you some jeans and sleep sets, underwear and socks, so we can go and pay for them now." she said.

As the got to the cash desk an assistant walked up, "I hope you don't mind but we heard his story from the officer here, we wondered if it was alright if we gave him this?" She handed Callen a mid-sized teddy bear.

Marty looked at it and then at Callen, "Can I? Please?"

Callen smiled, "Thank you." he said and handed it to the kid.

Marty hugged it, "He's sweet, can I call him G...after you?" he asked looking at Callen.

Callen lost for words nodded.

Nell looked at Marty who yawned, "Let's head back to the car and then we can swing by a pizza place on the way home, someone's looking a bit tired." she said.

"I'm not tired!" Marty said holding his bear and rubbing his eyes.

"No I know Marty, I was talking about Callen." she smiled as Marty waved goodbye to the shop assistants.

By the time they reached the car, Marty was flagging, Callen lifted him into the car and by the time they made it out of the car park he was asleep in the back, holding tightly to the bear with his thumb in his mouth.

Nell smiled and looked over at Callen.

"Do you think our kid's will be that cute?" she asked and grinned as Callen stepped heavily on the brake.

"Funny!" he laughed. "Let's just get him home, make that bed up for him and get him settled."

"I talked to Sam the stuff arrived while we were shopping, they've built the furniture, and the paint is drying, they're using paint dryers in there, we just have to make the beds. Kensi has set up the Christmas tree and Hetty arranged a few presents, looks like until we figure out how to make him bigger we have him for the holidays."

"You're still spending it with me though?" Callen asked worried.

Nell smiled, "Always and forever." she grinned.

Callen looked in the rear view mirror, "He is a great kid, It's a wonder he turned out as good as he did with his start in life."

Nell nodded and they drove in silence, Callen thinking about how special the day had been for the little boy in the back seat and Nell thinking about how good a father Callen would make someday and remembering the look on his face when he'd gotten his first present from Santa.

Callen hadn't talked about it, but the red fire truck had been packed extra carefully in the trunk of the car.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N... Yep I know Christmas is over, but not in this story, we are at this point about 2 days from christmas, so please bear with me, Thank you to all who have read and reviewed so far...and for a certain German reviewer, Tissues are on backorder but they are coming ;P

Disclaimer, If you know it I don't own it, if you don't I probably still don't own it...but if you're Happy and you know it...Clap your hands!

* * *

Chapter 6

Carrying their purchases from the store, Callen opened the door to his house checking that Marty was still asleep in the car.

He took the bags to the room he knew Sam and Kensi had sorted. He was surprised when he opened the door to find the room painted, with the windows ajar, the bed frame delivered and already put together by Kensi and Sam and a soft warm breeze making the curtains sway.

"Just needs bedding and Marty, G." Sam said quietly behind him.

Callen didn't realize he had been standing there for a good five minutes not saying anything. He looked around at the soft blue walls, the train bed frame and a railroad rug, which he was sure he hadn't brought but yet had appeared from somewhere. He looked down at the rug and then at Sam, "How?" He asked, they had only been gone five hours.

"Hetty." Sam said as if that explained everything.

And in its own way, maybe it did.

Nell took the bedding from Callen's hands, "I'll make the bed up for him G." she said.

He nodded and stepped back.

Sam went to pick up the last bag.

"That's mine!" Callen snapped out of his stupor and picked it up, walking to his room with it.

"Underwear?" Sam asked Nell.

She smiled and shook her head. "No…Don't worry."

Callen shot a glance out of the window; there was no movement in the car, so he took his bag to his room.

He pulled the red Fire Truck out of its bag and looked at it again. "Mine," he whispered to himself with a small smile and hid it under the loose floorboard in the back of the closet with his name on. As he lifted the board he saw his old baseball cards covered in dust but still there and his game winning ball from the '83 little league games, His home run ball. He'd forgotten about that, he truly had had happy times in this house and now hopefully Marty could too.

* * *

He got up and walked to the car. Marty was asleep in the back clutching his bear.

"Deeks…" Callen stopped himself, "Marty…Marty…you wanna wake up now, we're home."

At the word home, Marty's eyes shot open and he started to shake, "No…I didn't mean to?!" his breathing increased and Callen squatted beside the open car door.

"You're at my home Marty, You're safe." Callen said softly.

Marty rubbed his eyes and looked around; his home was nowhere to be seen.

"I'm…I'm not…" He knew better than to ask questions so he stopped, Callen said he was safe, so he must be, Mr. Callen hadn't lied to him at all, "Yes sir." He got out of the car leaving the bear on the seat.

"You know if you leave G there, he'll get lonely." Callen said with a small smile.

"I can bring him?" Marty asked.

"Sure," Callen waited as Marty scrambled back in the car and grabbed the bear. Callen locked up the car and walked up the path behind the boy.

Marty stopped at the door.

"It's ok Marty the doors unlocked you can go in."

Marty took two steps inside and stared, there was a big comfy sofa, a TV playing cartoons and a Christmas tree, inside a house. Marty walked up to it and stared.

"Mr. Callen?" Marty turned

"Yeah?" Callen said putting the last of the bags down.

"Why do you have a tree inside your house?"

"Good question." Callen said turning to look at Sam.

Sam walked over, "It's a Christmas tree Marty."

Marty gave him a look, "I know it's a Christmas tree, but they belong in Malls…" He looked wistful, "I saw one in a school once?" he turned to Callen with an excited look, "Is this place a school?" he asked.

Callen shook his head hating to disappoint the boy, "Nope this is my home."

Marty's shoulders slumped, "Oh…I would have liked to go to school…" he said softly turning to the tree again, "This is a nice home."

"Thank you." Callen said, "Do you wanna see your room?" he asked.

Marty blinked and nodded.

Callen gestured to him and he followed him down the hall.

He opened the door and Marty, in just the same way Callen had stood there staring, "It's….it's the bed from the store?" he said confused.

"It's your bed." Kensi said.

Marty's eyes went wide and he walked reverently up to the bed, running his hand over the duvet and the wood. "I can sleep here…for real…" His face split into a huge grin. "Can I?" He asked looking longingly at the bed.

Kensi nodded, "Sure."

Deeks took his new shoes off carefully putting them beside the bed and climbed up with the bed, "Look G, a real bed, we have a real bed." He whispered to the bear.

He curled up in a ball in the center of the bed hugging the bear tight, "We really are safe here G." he said to the bear as Kensi backed out of the room and closed the door.

* * *

She had tears in her eyes; by the time she reached the kitchen where the others where Nell and Callen were putting together a meal and Sam was sorting Marty's clothes out.

"Kensi?" Sam said noticing her distress.

"Is Marty ok?" Callen asked putting down the cheese shredder he'd been using.

"He…He's ok. It's just," Kensi let out a sob, "He never said, all those years and I never realized, he was awed that he had a bed and was safe."

"There's a lot to Deeks that he never told us."

Kensi wiped her eyes, "Can I help?" she offered.

Nell was looking for something, "Can you grab the large Pyrex dish, it's in the cupboard above the dishwasher." She said as Callen walked out of the room.

"No it's not. We used it last week; I left it in the dishwasher." Callen replied.

Both of them stopped as they realized there was silence from the other two.

* * *

"What?" Nell said.

Sam put down the pants he'd been holding, "You two…"

Callen turned and looked at them both, "you two what?"

Kensi smiled and nodded, "That explains a lot, like how Nell is the only one, apart from Sam who knows her way around your house."

"How long have you two been dating?" Sam asked.

Callen sighed and shrugged, "not long." He said as Nell let out a laugh,

"Not long?" she laughed grabbing the dish from the dishwasher and putting it on the counter. "Since the Rossetti case," she said.

"That's nearly 3 years?" Sam looked hurt, "All that time and you never said G?"

Callen shrugged.

"Even when I tried to set you up with Lily Lockhart, you still never said a word!" Sam exclaimed.

"I never went on the date either." Callen countered.

"Does Hetty know?" Kensi asked worried for her friends.

"Indeed I do." Hetty said as she entered the house.

"Hey," Callen said as Hetty walked in.

"Mr. Callen, is young Mr. Brandel settled in?" Hetty asked.

"I think so, he's in his room, trying out his new bed." Callen said.

"How was your trip to the mall?" she asked.

"Eventful." Callen said, he walked over to the small woman and gave her a hug, "Thank you." He whispered in her ear.

She smiled, "Tis the season. Mr. Callen."

Callen shot her a look. "Sure."

"Now, Miss Jones is there anything I can help with?" she asked.

"No, Did you want tea Hetty?" Nell asked. Hetty took her usual seat and nodded.

Nell got her pot down and warmed it.

* * *

Callen knocked on the door to Marty's room; he opened the door slowly and looked at the boy curled up on the bed.

He was sleeping well, this was good.

Callen gently shook him, Marty didn't jump, instead he woke up his blond hair sticking at odd angles and he rubbed his eyes, "Callen," he smiled, "Is it morning?"

Callen squatted down, "Nope, but it is nearly dinner time, I wanna try something."

Marty sat up and pulled his t-shirt straight and grabbed the bear, "What?" he asked suspiciously.

"I wanna see if I can make Santa's head elf smile, would you like to help?" he asked.

"She's here?!" He breathed.

Callen nodded, "Santa wants to make a special trip out this year, so he sent her to keep an eye on both of us…So we don't move again."

Marty's eyes went wide and he shook his head earnestly, "I won't move Callen, I promise…" he jumped off the bed and pulled his new sneakers on, "What do you need me to do." He asked.

Callen whispered in his ear as Marty giggled.

"Ok…Come on G." he said to the bear, he grabbed the clothes that Callen left for him and looked towards the door.

"Second door on the left, have a bath, get dressed and meet me in the living room, I'll have the bag." He grinned.

Callen walked back out to the others.

"Is Marty alright?" Nell asked.

Callen nodded, "He's having a bath and getting his PJ's on then he's coming out here to eat."

Sam and Kensi stood up, "We'd better get going," Kensi said.

"Na stay, there's always a lot for dinner on a Friday." Callen smiled, "And this time I get to cook…well Nell gets to cook but the concept is the same, Family dinner."

"Yes Mr. Callen and I for one, am looking forward to **not** cooking this week" Hetty said.

Callen laughed, "Yeah, but I still like your cooking."

"I have to get back, I'm taking Michelle out later," Sam told them.

Kensi shrugged, "I'll stay."

Callen smiled.

* * *

Marty came out in his PJs and holding G. "Callen." He whispered.

Callen turned "In here Marty."

He wandered into the kitchen and saw Hetty, Nell and Kensi.

He took the seat Callen indicated and sat staring at Hetty.

"Marty? Are you alright?" Hetty asked as Kensi and Nell finished getting the meal ready.

Callen brought over a cup of tea for Hetty and a glass of milk for Marty.

"Is it true?" Marty said quietly.

Hetty looked at him, "Is what true Marty?"

"Is it true that I get to stay here for Christmas and that you work for Santa and you are going to make sure he comes here."

Hetty looked at the waves of trust in the eyes of the small boy and knew she couldn't let him down.

"Yes Marty. I'm going to make sure that Santa comes here and that you get to stay with Mr. Callen and Miss Jones for Christmas." Hetty said.

"And G too!" He asked.

Hetty looked confused, "The bear." Callen supplied with a grin.

"And G too." She clarified.

Marty smiled as he sat with the bear in his lap and Nell put a plate of Mac and Cheese in front of him.

He ate it up quickly and as he neared the end his energy started to flag, Callen caught his head as he fell asleep midway through his dinner.

"I'll take him to bed." Callen scooped him and the bear up, and carried him to bed.

"He'll make a wonderful father someday." Kensi said looking the way he had gone.

Nell nodded. "He's great with kids, I don't know how long this 'thing' with Deeks is going to last, but Hetty, while he's a kid, can we let him enjoy it, let him and Callen have Christmas together?" She asked.

Hetty nodded, "I made a promise Miss Jones, now exactly what kind of Santa's elf would I be if I didn't follow through on a promise." She said kindly.

Callen laid Marty down on the bed in his room, gently rolling him so that he could pull the duvet up over the boy and tuck him in.

He tucked the bear beside him and turned out the light, as the door closed a sleepy voice said softly.

"Night…I love you daddy Callen."

Callen stopped, he closed the door and leant against the wall, with the biggest smile he'd ever had plastered across his face.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Marty woke up with the sun streaming through a crack in the curtains, he turned over and grabbed the soft bear that was nearby and smiled sleepily.

"It wasn't a dream G. It's real…it's really real." He sat for a few moments and then it hit him, "its Christmas Eve…Santa promised he'd come tonight.

Marty slipped out of his bed and hastily made it so it was nice and tidy. He had to be good, Santa only came to good boys and girls, Ray had told him that.

He grabbed 'G' and ran to the door. Stopping he looked down at his clothes. He couldn't go out in his pajama's what if he ruined them, he never had nice things.

He looked at the pile of nice clothes, Miss Nell had got, he ran his hands over them gently, and they were great clothes. No one had said he could wear them though. He looked longingly at the surfer T-shirt but then reached for his too short jeans and faded A-team t-shirt. These were his, besides as great as yesterday was there was no guarantee that Callen would be allowed to keep him again. He knew better than to hope for things like that.

He looked at the bear…he supposed the next kid who came to stay with Callen would need it.

He climbed on the top of his bed and hugged the bear.

"You were my bestest friend 'G' even better than Ray…you look after Mr. Callen and Miss Nell. Yesterday was great but they'll get tired of me and I'll have to go today." He said. "I love you G." he whispered and placed him on the pillow of the bed.

He quietly slipped out of the bedroom and padded down the hall into the kitchen, it was still early and he hoped he could find some food without having to get in trouble.

* * *

Callen woke up as he heard a noise in the hallway.

"G?" Nell said as she stirred.

"Shh…I think Marty's up." Callen said pulling some pants on and getting up.

Nell rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"Wait a minute G; he's probably going to watch some DVD's." Nell said pulling on a shirt and reaching for a pair of slippers.

"I don't know." Callen's gut was churning this was Deeks' first morning with him.

They both slipped out of the room and walked down the hall, Nell opened the door to Marty's room, the bed was made and little G the bear was tucked up in the bed.

All the new clothes they had bought and the new sneakers were untouched in neat piles, but his old clothes were gone.

Nell looked back at Callen worried then they heard a crash and a small sniffle in the kitchen.

Deeks sat on the floor by the bin holding his hand as blood poured down his arm.

"What are you doing?!" Nell said worried as she saw the blood, Callen ran in and scooped him up and sat him on the counter.

"I…I'm sorry, I didn't know, I forgot to check for broken glass…" Marty sniffed as a tear rolled down he wiped it with his good hand angrily.

"What were you doing in the bin?" Nell asked as she got the first aid kit.

"Nothin'." Marty said looking at the floor.

"Marty?" Nell pushed as Callen washed and bandaged the wound. As soon as he was finished Callen let go of Marty's hand and he shot off the table and ran out of the room.

Callen shot Nell a look, "I'll go." He said, "You make pancakes." He said. He smiled as she nodded and he kissed her cheek. "Won't be long." He said and went back to Marty's room.

* * *

Marty had grabbed little G off the bed and was sobbing in the corner. "He won't come now G. I knew it… I made a mistake and He won't come again."

Callen stood the other side of the door listening.

"Why can't I get it right…Daddy Callen was nice, I don't want him to hit me…but he's gonna I got my filthy blood on his floor." He cried.

Callen opened the door and walked in, "Marty?" he started.

Marty curled himself into a ball and threw his arms over his head defensively, "I'm sorry da….Mr. Callen Sir, I didn't mean too!" he sobbed.

He yelped as Callen scooped him up and carried him to his room.

He put Marty down on the bed and Marty nodded slowly and stood up, he lowered his pants and lent over the bed biting his lip.

"Marty?" Callen stood the boy up and pulled and fastened his pants back up.

"Ya aint gonna belt me?" Marty asked confused.

Callen shook his head "Never, I just want to know what you were doing playing with the glass."

Marty looked at him confused, "Playing?" he shook his head, "I wasn't playing…" he looked ashamed. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to I was stealing sir, I didn't mean to…I…I was just hungry…I wanted to eat be…before you…" he sobbed silently looking away from Callen.

"Before I?" Callen prompted he needed to know what was going on in the boy's mind.

"Before you threw me away."

"Threw. You. Away?" Callen said slowly turning Marty around to face him, "Why would I throw you away?"

"Coz I'm a brat, you have Miss Nell, you don't need me, I'm a little Ass.."

"Enough." Callen said sharply and Marty jumped. "enough." He said softer. He pulled the boy into a hug.

"You are a wonderful, special little boy, I love looking after you and if you want you can stay here for as long as you need."

Marty looked at him, hit blue eyes wide with wonder. "Forever?" he breathed, "Would you be my daddy forever?"

"I will be your daddy for as long as you need me to be," Callen promised.

Marty threw himself into Callen's arms, "I love you daddy Callen." He said.

Callen's smile was bigger than it had been when Marty had said it the night before in his sleep. This time he was awake. His smile faltered as he realized that eventually this would end. It had to right? But one thing Callen had learned over the years, when you had a happy moment, hold on to it for as long as you can. They never lasted forever.

* * *

"Hey Shaggy, shall we get you changed into some of your new clothes, Nell's making us pancakes."

Marty grinned, "Yay…" he took two steps and stopped, "Daddy? You called me shaggy, like Scooby Doo?"

Callen smirked, "You don't like it?" he asked.

Marty broke into a huge grin, "I love it." He grabbed Callen's hand and pulled him to the bedroom to get changed.

Nell was cooking the pancakes as Sam came in with Monty.

"I wondered where he was." Nell said as Monty came sniffing into the kitchen.

"I took him back home last night; Marty looked a little too overwhelmed to meet the dog too." Sam said.

"You want pancakes?" Nell asked.

Sam grinned, "Yeah Michelle's got me on Granola bars for breakfast."

Nell took an extra plate out and laid him a place.

"Pancakes!" she called.

There was a commotion as the bedroom door opened, "Come on Daddy! Pancakes!" Marty's voice called from down the hall.

Daddy? Sam mouthed to Nell who shrugged.

"Shaggy…wait your socks!" Callen called

"ARRGGHH!" Marty screamed as he was bowled over by Monty. "DADDY!" Sam and Nell watched as Callen ran out of the room and grabbed Marty and lifted him out of Monty's reach.

"Shh….It's ok Marty, it's just a dog, and it's Monty. He's friendly look." He said as Marty slowly lifted his head, Callen moved him around to his hip and moved to the sofa. Marty clung to Callen tighter.

"Trust me?" Callen asked.

Marty nodded.

"Monty." Callen said and the dog padded up. Callen reached down and stroked him behind the ear.

"Will he eat me; my nasty daddy said that dogs ate little boys?"

"No, you know why?" Callen said stroking Marty reassuringly on the head.

"No…why?" Marty asked slowly putting a hand out and laughing as Monty licked him and his tail wagged.

"Because he's your dog." Callen said.

Marty stopped and turned to Callen his face split into a huge grin, "My dog? My very own DOG?"

Callen nodded, Marty wrapped his arms around the dog and laughed, "You're my dog, I love you Monty."

Monty wagged his tail in agreement.

"Look Miss Nell, Mr. Sam…Daddy got me a dog!" he said excitedly.

Sam looked at Callen pointedly, "_**Daddy**_ did, did he?"

Callen stood between the kid he'd just promised to protect for as long as he needed him and his partner, "Yeah Sam, _**Daddy **_did."

Sam nodded in the direction of the backyard.

"Hey, Shaggy, you and Monty go to the table to eat some of Nell's pancakes, I'll be there in a minute."

"Ok Daddy." Marty said and they ran into the kitchen.

* * *

Sam paced on the back porch as Callen joined him.

"What the Hell G?!" Sam snapped.

"What?" Callen asked.

"Daddy? Deeks is a member of the team, you can't do this."

"Deeks is a grown man; Marty is a ten year old boy who needs a dad,"

"And when he grows up?" Sam asked,

"I promised him I'll be his daddy for as long as he needs one, and right now he needs one, he needs protecting." Callen countered.

Sam looked at him sadly, "I know you are G, but who's looking out for you, If…when Deeks gets better, he's going to be a cop again, not your son. If you let him in, he's going to feel like family, how are you going to cope when you lose him again."

"I won't lose him; he'll be back on the team as Deeks." Callen said.

"That's not what I mean G, when he's grown you won't have the little boy, the one in there that runs around calling you daddy."

"I'm his team leader Sam; it's my job to protect him." Callen said and walked back into the house.

"Yeah, but whose going to protect you?" Sam said to himself.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Callen walked away from Sam and opened his phone. "Kensi, I need a favor, Nell and I need to go into the office and I need to pick a few things up, yeah…I know it's Christmas Eve, but can you watch Marty for me for a while."

He pulled the phone away from his ear as Kensi complained about how bad a child minder she'd be. "But Kensi, he's your partner." Callen said.

The phone was silent, "I'm on my way." Kensi said quietly and hung up.

Sam walked up to him, "You good?" he asked.

Callen gave a curt nod, he wasn't good. Not by a long shot. Everything Sam had said was true and he knew it, but while Marty was little he was determined that the kid would have some fun and a few good memories, even if Marty didn't keep them and only Callen did, he would know that he had helped someone. Just to give the kid a few days of normality was important to him.

He walked into the kitchen to find Marty sitting at the table in front of a huge stack of pancakes.

"Look Miss Nell made them…they are bigger than I am!" Marty exclaimed with his mouth full and a huge smile.

Callen wanted to tell him not to talk with his mouth full, but the smile that was on his face was perfect so he just smiled back.

"That's great sport." He said grabbing a napkin and wiping a bit of syrup off of Marty's face.

Sam sat next to Nell opposite Deeks who looked at him warily. Nell placed a stack of pancakes in front of Sam and Callen who dug in.

"These are great Nell." Sam said not looking at Deeks.

Callen nodded in agreement as she sat down, "They are nice Hun. We're still heading out later?" he asked.

Nell nodded, "Yeah, I'll clean up after lunch and we can go…." She said, Marty slowed his eating to listen shooting worried glances at Sam. "What about?" Nell asked nodding her head in Marty's direction.

"I've got someone to watch him." Callen said.

Marty gave no indication he was listening but his consumption of the pancakes halted and he pushed his fork around his plate.

He drank his milk up and looked at Callen, "Can I please be excused?" He asked biting his lip.

Callen nodded and Marty all but ran from the table.

* * *

"What's up with him?" Sam asked.

Nell shrugged. Callen ate a few more forkfuls of his dinner, looked at Marty's plate and then at Sam who was shooting Callen annoyed looks.

"Shit!" Callen dropped his fork and ran out of the room, with Sam and Nell close behind him.

"Marty?" Callen called looking around his house, He ran into the bedroom and looked around, a bag was missing and so was the bear and a change of clothes and the small lamp Santa had given him.

Callen ran out of the house and saw Marty down the road, crying silently as he dragged his bag along the sidewalk, Monty walking patiently behind him.

"Marty!" Callen caught up with him and span him around.

Immediately Marty threw his hands up to protect his head, "I'm sorry." He said instinctively, Monty moved to protect his master.

Callen dropped to his knees and looked Marty in the eye, "I won't hurt you, I just…what spooked you?" he asked.

"You were leaving, you were going to leave me with the big man…He doesn't like me, he's built like my daddy. I know he's going to hurt me, but he's your friend, so I figured if I left I could not upset him." Marty said.

"Sam didn't want to hurt you?" Callen said confused. "He's a policeman too, remember."

"He was mad with you coz…coz I called you daddy," Marty sniffed, he looked up and tensed as he saw Nell and Sam behind Callen. "I…" he shrunk and moved closer to Callen. "If I leave he won't be mad with you no more." Marty said.

Callen turned and saw Sam behind him, he moved and gathered him up in his arms, turned around and handed Nell the bag. "Sam, I'm taking my son home, you need to tone it down until he's comfortable with you." He said quietly as he passed and walked back to the house.

* * *

"His son?!" Sam said to Nell, "You are going to stop this aren't you?" he asked her looking pointedly towards Callen who was heading back to their house.

Nell looked at Sam, "Look, Sam…I know you had a problem with Deeks, but right now, Marty isn't Deeks, and he's a little kid. Callen would never treat your children the way you've been looking and acting towards that boy. If Marty feels safer right now thinking that Callen is his dad then so be it. Callen knows it isn't forever, but Marty is a child and right now his wants and needs come first." She stood her hands on her hips in the middle of the street making Sam feel like he was no taller than Hetty.

"I….I'm just having trouble with all of this." Sam said, "Callen is my partner, if he gets too attached and Marty goes back to normal, or gets hurt…" He started.

"Then I will deal with it, you are his partner and I am his lover and have been for a while, I will take care of his heart, you just make sure he doesn't get shot." She snapped at him, "And If Callen is his father, for now then I'm his mother…So don't upset my son!" she shouted and went to catch up with Callen who had stopped to watch her Monty sitting by his side wagging his tail.

Marty looked up at her, "You…you want to be my momma?" he asked.

Callen put him down and Nell placed the bag beside him, "Would you like me too?" she asked.

Marty moved his hair out of his eyes, "Yes….yes please." He nodded.

Nell wrapped him up in her arms, "Then, until you don't need me to be, I am your mother." She vowed.

"Are you going to leave me with the angry man?" Marty asked.

"No…" Nell said looking at Sam, "We will never leave you with anyone that would harm you, Sam is a nice man really he just has to go and do some thinking before he gets to come back."

"Like I do when I get sent to my closet?" Marty asked, "He didn't mean to be bad momma, you won't make him got to the closet?" he asked in a whisper, "It's dark and scary in there."

Sam was touched, even though Marty was scared of him; he was still worried about his wellbeing.

He knelt down to Marty who pushed back and clung onto Nell's hand. "Marty, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you or to upset you or your…daddy, You are a great kid you know, I looked after Monty and he's a great judge of character and he loves you."

"You brought me the doggy?" Marty asked astonished.

Sam nodded, "I did, he's a good dog, and he looked after my little girls."

Marty moved away from Nell a fraction of an inch.

"My girls are eight and ten, maybe I could bring them round later to play with you, and you three could be friends." Sam offered. Callen nodded his approval as Marty looked up, "Can they daddy? Can I have friends?" he asked. Callen nodded. "Thank you Mr. Sam." Marty said with a smile.

* * *

A car pulled up and Kensi stepped out and stopped to stroke Monty who ran up to her wagging his tail.

"Hey Monty." She said as she petted him, "Hey guys…everything alright?" she asked spying the bag Callen now held and the group on the front lawn.

"Momma… She was at the police station, she's pretty." Marty said shyly.

Kensi looked at Nell, but said nothing. "Do you remember her Marty?"

Marty shook his head, "I think…I think she helped me tie my laces…but…I…I don't know."

"Hey Marty, I'm Kensi…you called me Fern remember?" she asked.

Marty blinked, "Why would I call you Fern if your name is Kensi?" he asked.

"You thought it was funny." Kensi smiled.

Marty shook his head and walked into the house, Monty following behind him.

"Marty?" Kensi followed along with the others, to find Marty pacing up and down the living room.

"I wouldn't do that… I didn't do that?" he said with conviction, "I wouldn't call you names Miss Kensi, calling someone names is bad…my daddy called me names." He said solemnly.

"Well, this wasn't a nasty name. Fern is a nice name." Kensi said.

Marty shook his head, "No…Fern is a bad name, we can't talk about Fern, I promised." He grabbed his bear and sat in the corner of the room staring at the Christmas tree, Monty curled up by his side.

Callen and Nell moved over to where Marty was crouched, "Marty, do you want to tell us about Fern?"

Marty shook his head.

Kensi sat next to him, "You guys are going to be late, and Hetty's waiting on you. I'll stay with him, it'll be ok." Kensi said.

Callen nodded and stood up, "Marty we gotta go out for a while, but you'll be good for Kensi won't you." He said

Marty nodded but didn't look them in the eye.

Nell lent over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Bye momma, bye daddy." Marty said quietly.

Nell and Callen smiled. "We won't be too long." Nell said. "Maybe we can chat some more when we get home."

Kensi looked over at Marty who kept sneaking sidelong glances at her.

She walked to the middle of the room and opened her bag.

She pulled out a book and started to read aloud.

Marty looked up as Kensi read the little engine that could, remembering Deeks telling her it was one of his favorite stories as a child.

He looked up as Kensi kept reading the story ignoring him. He slowly got up and inched along the couch as she ready.

On her third time through she lifted her arm and he ducked under so he could see the pictures.

"I know that word…its engine….and that one's train." He whispered to himself. Remembering each word as she read them.

"Do you want to try?" Kensi asked and started the book at the beginning.

They sat together for two hours as Kensi sat and helped Marty with each word, until he yawned and started to flag.

"I love you," Marty said as he dozed off, "You're beautiful, like my Fern…she was pretty."

"She was?" Kensi asked quietly so as not to rouse the dozing child.

"Uh huh." Marty nodded, "She had pretty eyes the same as yours but not, one blue and one black." He yawned.

"Was she a friend?" Kensi asked stroking her hand through his hair as he lay sleepy with his head in her lap.

"Nuh huh." He shook his head, "she was my big sister… she looked after me."

"Oh did you want us to find her?"

Marty let out another big yawn, "Na…Fern is an Angel now…she watches out for me from heaven." He yawned again and finally fell asleep.

As he slept, Kensi slipped her phone out of her pocket and called Nate, "I think you need to come visit Deeks, and look for any information on a Fern Brandel, older than Deeks…died before he was about 10. Let Callen and Hetty know too." She closed the phone up and continued to stroke Marty's hair.

"I love you too Deeks, come back to me soon." She whispered her heart aching for the horrors the boy had suffered and for the man that she truly missed.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Callen sat in Hetty's office as Nell gathered all the things she needed from upstairs.

"How is he Mr. Callen?" Hetty asked.

"He's doing great, we had a few hiccups with Sam this morning," Callen said as he lifted the tea that Hetty had given him to his lips, he took a slow sip savoring the flavor as Hetty watched him.

"Mr. Hanna is concerned for your wellbeing," Hetty said.

Callen nodded, "Marty is calling me Daddy and Nell, momma…I know it's what he needs right now. I know it's not a permanent thing."

"But you'd like it to be?" she asked.

Callen sighed, "I think I'd like to be a parent, Marty has shown me how much I would like it."

"But I think you in some ways crave permanence as much as our young Master Brandel does." Hetty said.

"I'm used to things not being permanent; I take it that research and development haven't come up with an antidote to what caused this yet?" Callen asked.

Hetty noticed the redirection, but let it slide. "Nothing as yet, we have our best people on it," she told him, "I think there will be nothing until after the winter vacation, maybe you should enjoy the holidays, the three of you as a family." She counseled.

"Four of us, you will be there won't you?" Callen asked.

Hetty smiled, "I can make it, Thank you." She replied.

Callen smiled, "I want him to have one, special Christmas. Just one as a kid, you read his file, he never had that, no kid should grow up without a Christmas," Callen said solemnly thinking back to his own cold and lonely Christmases past.

"Do you think Mr. Hanna will accept what you are doing?" Hetty asked.

Callen let out a laugh, "I think after Nell went all Tiger momma defending her cub this morning on him, he'll think twice about upsetting Marty, I think you may be in for a run for your money in the ferocious stakes." He laughed shooting a look towards ops, where Nell was walking down the stairs.

She wasn't wearing anything fancy, just a jumper and jeans, but still Callen's breath caught in his throat.

Hetty smiled, "Maybe someday, she will have cubs of her own to protect." She said quietly.

* * *

Nell stopped as Nate called her from upstairs.

She turned and followed him to the balcony.

"We may have a problem, how much of Deeks' past were you read into?" Nate asked and he told her about Kensi's phone call.

He filled her in on the situation and she turned and ran down the stairs. "G!" she called in a panic running into Hetty's office.

"What? What's wrong?" Callen stood reaching for her as she ran in.

"Marty…He talked to Kensi…he…he said…" She took a breath and turned to Hetty, "Did you know about Fern?"

"Deeks' nickname for Kensi?" Callen asked.

Nell shook her head, "No…The real Fern." She said her eyes brimming with tears, "Hetty we need the rest of the Brandel file, the redacted stuff I didn't see last time."

"You've read the file?" Nate asked as he joined them, noting with a smile that Callen had his arm around Nell's waist and wasn't hiding his feelings for her.

"When Deeks was shot, Hetty had me look up the file on John Gordon Brandel, Deeks' father. He was a possible suspect in Deeks' shooting at the time. I only accessed the files pertaining to his father not the rest of it." She said.

"I will unlock the rest, he's never mentioned his sister before, although…" Hetty took a deep breath, "I do know about her and her death, although I do not know if Mr. Deeks ever talked about it after the day in question." She said sadly.

* * *

She handed the file to Nate who looked through it as Nell and Callen sat nearby holding hands as Nate relayed the circumstances of Fern Brandel's death.

"She was only fifteen when she died, she was Louise Brandel's step-daughter, Brandel was her father, and her mother, a Sylvia Grey, was Brandel's ex-wife."

"Didn't Deeks file a restraining order against a Sylvia Grey?" Nell asked.

"I thought she was an ex-girlfriend," Callen said, "That's what Kensi said." He told them.

Hetty shook her head, "Sylvia was Fern's mother…There is some doubt as to whether or not she was also Mr. Deeks' mother. But she kept following him after he was adopted by the Deeks' and through police training, she was mentally unstable and she kept trying to see him, and wanting information on Fern. He had a restraining order filed against her eventually." Hetty paused.

"So Louise Brandel may not even have been Deeks' mother, does he know?" Callen asked.

"We don't know, he's never said. But Sylvia Grey is in Barrington Psychiatric Center. Her bills are paid for and she has a private room." Hetty told them.

Nell pulled up her file. "Oh my God, Deeks pays for it."

Hetty nodded, "This is why he works for both us as the LAPD, he sends money to both women who could have been his mother, and I don't think he knows who his mother is, so he takes care of both."

"I think while he is like this, if he will talk about Fern it would be good." Nate advised. He turned the pages until he found one blacked out. "It doesn't say in here how Fern died?"

Hetty sighed, "No…it doesn't I saw the original LAPD file, Fern was murdered by her father, on the night that Mr. Deeks shot his father."

Callen looked over at Nate, "are you okay to do child psychology?"

Nate nodded, "I am…I haven't practiced on a child for a while, but I will."

"Can you come now, talk to Marty?" Callen asked; Nell nodded in agreement.

"Sure." Nate stood up, "I just need a few things."

Nell looked at Callen, "I still need to get the stuff for tomorrow, to do what we planned."

Callen pulled her into his arms, "You get what we need Honey, I'll take Nate back and help Marty."

"Hetty would you care to join me, we have some last minute gifts to buy?" Nell asked.

Hetty smiled and stood, "I think that would be fine, Mr. Callen, you look after your boy, Miss Jones and I will be back as soon as we can."

Callen nodded, "Thank you Hetty," he said. He pulled Nell into his arms and kissed her, "I'll look after our son." He vowed as she nodded and left with Hetty.

He watched her go to find Nate looking at him.

"Not a word Nate!" He grinned, "You help Marty and I promise, three full, no-holds barred question and answer sessions, no ducking, diving or avoiding."

Nate stopped stunned. "Really?!"

"Right now, that boy is my son, so yeah…for him…really." Callen said.

* * *

Kensi had fallen asleep listening to Marty breathing, she woke up to find him sitting on the end of the couch, holding his bear and looking at her.

"Hey," she said giving him a smile.

"Hey." He grinned shyly at her.

"You ok now?" Kensi asked.

"Huh?" Marty asked confused.

"You were talking about your sister before you fell asleep." Kensi said softly.

Marty looked around with a smile, "Fern? Is she here?" he asked with a smile.

"No, you told me she was an Angel." Kensi said.

"But…She used to come and visit with her momma, when did she become an Angel, Miss Kensi?"

Kensi shook her head she didn't know.

"Tell me about her," she asked as he phone beeped. She checked the screen and put the phone back in her pocket.

"She's pretty, momma doesn't like her much when she plays with me," Marty chewed his bottom lip, "Her momma is crazy, she keeps trying to see me and touch my hair, I don't like it much."

Kensi nodded, not wanting to stop his train of thought. "She's smart she can read…she taught me my letters. But daddy got madded at her when she did, so she stopped, he punished her and she couldn't breathe well for a while, she sounded funny."

He started crying and he moved closer to her as she opened her arms to him, "Why did Ferny have to be deaded? She was nice to me, I used to pretend she was my momma, a nice one like Miss Nell and we used to talk about what we would do when she took me away and we were going to live in a real circus with elephants and tigers and clown and acrobats…I was gonna be an acrobat." Marty said, "I'm not gonna be an acrobat now am I?" he asked.

"I don't know Marty, but I do know lots of people love you."

"Really?" He asked, "I know Daddy Callen and Momma Nell do, but…I didn't think anyone else would love me, momma always told me that she wished she hadn't gotted me."

"Well your mother was wrong. I love having you around." Kensi said hearing a car pull up she stopped, "Your…er…Daddy Callen is back, with…erm, Uncle Nate." She said.

Marty looked up as the door opened.

"Daddy! You came back…you said you would and you did!" he grinned.

Callen dropped to his knees and hugged Marty, "Yeah kid, I did I brought a friend with me."

"Uncle Nate?" Marty asked.

Callen nodded, "Yeah, Kensi told us you were thinking about Fern."

"You know Fern?" Marty asked astonished, "Kensi said Fern's an angel, but she's not…I don't think she is…but it's strange, I remember her getting hurt…but I think…I…."A look of total horror crossed Marty's face, "I shot my daddy…is that why he hasn't been round, is it coz I killed him…" he stopped as huge wet tears rolled down his face, "Daddy Callen…did I kill my other daddy, am I going to go to the angels like fern?" he launched himself into Callen's arms.

Nate had a thought, "Marty?" he asked as he crouched near the sobbing child, "How old were you when you shot your daddy."

He sniffed, "I was 'leven…but…I'm not 'leven yet? How can I member st…stuff I aint done yet?" he asked confused.

Nate shook his head, "I don't know buddy."

"Maybe…maybe Fern's not dead, and I'm dreaming?" he clung onto Callen tighter, "I don't wanna be dreaming, you are my favoritest daddy ever…don't let me go daddy." He begged hanging onto him so hard that Callen was finding it hard to breath.

Nate watched carefully as Callen maneuvered himself to the couch holding onto Marty just as tightly himself.

"I won't Marty; you'll be fine I promise." Callen said rubbing the boy's back until the child's sobs calmed down and he fell exhausted asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N Thank you for your reviews, alerts and favorites to this story. I haven't forgotten the other stories, and will be updating the others from Sunday onwards. However, this is a christmas story and Christmas Day will be in the next chapter...and for those who haven't noticed...It's February...so I figured I should get this out of my system.

I am glad that most of you are enjoying this...it is for you guys that I write. THANK YOU ALL.

* * *

Chapter 10

Marty lay next to Callen and Nate looked down at him, "I thought you guys brought him new clothes the other day?" he said looking Marty up and down.

"We did why?"

"His pants are too short?" Nate said pointing to one of Marty's legs that was sticking out at least two inches from his pants.

Callen raised his eyebrows, "Is that normal?" he asked.

Nate gave a quiet laugh, "What about any of this is normal?"

"Do you think whatever it was is wearing off?" Kensi asked looking over at him; he did look older than he had been just two days ago.

Callen opened his cell phone and sent a text to Nell and Hetty letting them know of Nate's theory.

"Do you think we should ask him some more about Fern?" Callen asked turning back to Nate.

Nate shook his head, "Deeks coped with it fine before, I am more concerned with his state of mind if he's going to start growing, I mean, we don't know if this will wear off quickly of over a period of time. He may have to go through puberty again."

"Poor kid." Callen said. "What can we do?" He asked his jaw set, as he had expected things were starting to change.

"I honestly don't know, there really isn't a precedent for this Callen." Nate said as the child stirred in his sleep with a small groan, "I would assume as he is starting to grow he'll be in some pain, do you have children's Tylenol?" he asked.

Callen nodded, "Nell picked up a children's first aid kit when I offered to take Marty in." He told Nate as Kensi got up and walked into the kitchen.

"So why did you offer to take him in?" Nate asked when they were alone.

Callen shot him a glare, but Nate smiled, "Kensi will be a while, you promised me three sessions; three no-holds barred question and answer sessions, you never said when I could start." Nate pushed.

Callen sighed and shifted so that Marty's sleeping form was more comfortable.

"I did…go on then." He capitulated.

"Why, of all the people who would have taken Marty in, why you?" Nate asked.

Callen looked down at him, "He was alone, I've been alone…I didn't want to take the chance that Hetty would put him in the system."

"With what happened I don't think Hetty would do that, why did you think she would?" Nate asked.

"She did with me…" Callen said quietly. He took a deep breath; "You know she's been a foster mother, she was part of a program, for orphans, Hunter, Sullivan, Stevens…me…" he waited and was surprised when Nate nodded.

"She told me after the Stevens' incident."

"You know she fostered all of them…but Deeks…his childhood was broken, like mine…she didn't take me…I didn't want Marty to suffer the same fate, he needed, he deserved some good memories."

Nate sat back saying nothing, Kensi walked in handing him and Callen a coffee, "I'll take him to bed." She said, she lifted him and carried him to his room, where she sat with Marty as Callen and Nate continued talking.

* * *

"So," Nate said as Kensi left with Marty, "You fostered Marty so that you'd have some good memories." Nate said.

"Didn't say that Nate." Callen gave him a smirk, "Not at all, I did it so Marty would have somewhere safe to be while he…recovered, grew up…whatever's going to happen,"

"He is growing up Callen; you bonded deeply with him though."

"No." Callen denied it shaking his head.

"He's a young boy all alone in the city, no parents or family…you bonded, ok," Nate held up his hands as Callen started to rise from the chair, " You didn't bond, you empathized with him." He said changing his words.

"I'm his team leader; it's my job to look out for him." Callen said stubbornly.

"Sam has kids and a wife, he could have taken him in, Kensi is a woman, Marty likes her and she's his partner, she'd have taken him…Hetty would have taken him in," Nate stopped at the look of pain that crossed Callen's face.

"That hurt, why?" Nate asked.

"Forget it." Callen snapped.

"No-holds barred, remember." Nate pushed.

"Not this." Callen snapped. "Back off from this Nate."

"No." Nate knew Callen wouldn't shout, he wouldn't risk waking up Marty.

"Please." Callen asked.

Nate looked at him, "I didn't want to push, but it seems to be tied directly into this." He said honestly.

"Hetty wasn't there for me, she knew about me, she'd known about me since I was five, and you know she knew my mother right?" Callen asked.

Nate nodded, "She said."

"She got me out of the orphanages, I just assumed she didn't foster me because of her work, it was too dangerous, it hurt when I find out years later, she knew about what happened in those homes. But I coped with it, because she couldn't have me; not that she didn't want me." Callen stopped and stared into his mug, fighting the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him.

"But then you found out about the others, Hunter, Sullivan and Stevens."

"She fostered them all Nate, some for a while, some for longer…but why not me," Callen's voice broke, "She didn't want me, I'm good enough to fight but not good enough to be…" Callen rubbed his hand over his face schooling his features and his emotions.

"I didn't want Marty to feel like that, I didn't want to give her the chance." He said quietly. "He's a kid he deserves a chance at a few days of happiness, he deserves…"

"What you never got?" Nate supplied for him.

* * *

Callen stood up and paced the room, "I just wanted…for a while…" he couldn't form his thoughts into words, "You know I was floored when Marty called me Daddy…it was…nice…I wanted that, just for a little while, is that wrong? I never told him to call me that, I didn't want to screw him up, I just wanted to see if I could do it." Callen leaned against the window frame and watched as the lights came on in the street.

"To see if you could do what, be a father?" Nate asked.

Callen shook his head, "Be a family." He sighed "I know it's stupid, I'm not made for family life, Hell Hetty knew that when I was five." He slouched back into the couch again.

"Maybe Hetty hoped you had family out there, she knew about your mother, but not your father, maybe she didn't adopt you because she was hoping your father would appear and claim you." Nate reasoned.

"Yeah and that worked out great." Callen said sullenly. "I may be getting it all wrong Nate, I may not know how to be a parent, but right now Deeks needs someone, he needs someone to look out for him and make sure he doesn't get hurt. Someone who wants what is best for him."

"And when he goes back to normal?"

"Then I'm his team leader, he's our liaison. Life goes back to as close to normal as it ever gets with us." Callen said. He smiled a bit thinking this was a lot like a déjà vu moment.

They stopped as the sound of a car pulling up outside interrupted them.

Nate got up, "You ok Callen?" he asked.

Callen gave a curt nod and stood up, "I…I need a minute," He headed out to the backyard.

* * *

Within moments Nell was there she didn't say anything, she just wrapped her arms around him and held him.

"Did…Did Nate say anything?" He asked concerned.

"No…Just that you needed me." He turned and held her closing his eyes and breathing in her scent, centering himself in the safety of her arms.

"I do…I always do." He said

She smiled, "How's Marty?" she asked while they were alone.

"Growing," Callen said looking at Nell, "Nate noticed, he's grown at least 15 centimeters since this morning."

"Oh…I hope he's still young for the morning, I brought some things for tomorrow." She said cryptically.

"Are you going to tell me?" he asked with a smirk.

Nell shook her head, "Nope."

Callen took her hand and they both walked into the lounge where Kensi had joined them.

"He asleep?" Callen asked.

"Out like a light, Monty is asleep at the end of the bed, he won't leave him." She told them.

Hetty looked at the worry on their faces, "Mr. Getz, how is young Mr. Brandel?" she asked.

"He is growing, mentally and physically, I don't know how old he'll be tomorrow, of even if he'll be any different, but he remembered about his sister." Nate informed them.

"I have to go; I promised my mother I'd be there." Kensi said looking at the clock.

"Give my regards to Ms Feldman. Ms Blye. Have a merry Christmas." Hetty told her.

Kensi smiled, "Thank you, I'll be back as soon as I can Callen." She said as she turned to go.

Callen shook his head, "I'll keep you informed, you spend the time with your mother." He told her.

"You sure?" Kensi asked.

Callen smiled, "Go, I promise not to break your partner while you're gone." He joked.

Kensi laughed and waved as she walked to her car and left.

As the others left Callen sat on the couch with Nell and told them what had happened with Nate.

Nell held his hand and listened silently.

"You would make a great dad," she said to him as he confessed his worry to her.

"You think so?" Callen asked the doubt evident in his voice.

Nell snuggled into his side, "I know so," she smiled, not voicing the thought that was running through her head.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Callen woke up, he reached over for Nell, but she wasn't in the bed. He sat up, rubbed his hand over his face for a second trying to figure out what had woken him.

Nell wasn't in the bathroom, where he'd expected her to be. A quick check of the clock on the nightstand told him it was a quarter to six in the morning. He heard a noise again.

He quickly pulled on some jeans and grabbing his gun from the nightstand drawer and tucking it in his waistband he padded barefoot down the hall.

He stopped as he got to Marty's room.

He could hear muffled voices and the sounds of crying coming from the room.

"It's going to be ok Marty." Nell's voice came from the other side of the door.

Carefully and quietly he opened the door.

Nell was sat on the end of the bed holding a hand that was bigger than it had been when it went with its owner to bed that night.

Nell looked up.

"Is he ok?" Callen asked.

"I think he had…a growth spurt, I gave him Tylenol and changed him up into pajamas, he's now I think about 12."

"He gonna be ok for today?" Callen asked, He knew Nell had planned something, but if Marty needed them, everything could wait, it was only Christmas, for Callen it was still just another day and Marty's health was more important, they could always do the family thing next year.

* * *

Nell nodded and stood up, "I have some things to do, you wanna sit with him?" she asked.

"Momma?" Marty's voice came from under the duvet.

"I just have a few things to do, you boys can come out in about 10 minutes, Santa left a mess is all." She grinned as a slightly older Marty poked his head out from under the duvet and both her boys had confused looks on their faces.

"Santa came?" Marty asked confused, "But Santa doesn't come to me."

Nell looked at them both.

"Ok, seeing as this is both your first time, this is how it works, You will both wash up, and get dressed into something clean," she said shooting Callen a look knowing he wanted to wear his old t-shirt from the other day. "Then when you are washed and dressed and you young man, have brushed your hair, you can both come into the kitchen for Christmas breakfast." She told them.

"Yes Ma'am." They said in unison.

She turned and walked out, Callen looked at Marty who grinned as he tumbled out of bed.

"Wow!" Callen exclaimed as Marty stood up.

He was about two feet taller than he had been when he went to bed, the boy who had been ten years old now looked a lanky 12.

Callen looked at the clothing Nell had brought and grabbed a bag Hetty had labeled 12. "It looks like these will fit you."

"Thanks dad." Marty grinned, "Hurry up, Santa came!"

12 or 43, both boys felt like they were five as they rushed to comply with Nell's wishes.

Callen showered and went to pick up his T-shirt when he remembered Nell's words and instead grabbed the Aqua blue shirt he kept in his closet. Tucking them into his jeans he pulled on his socks and boots and went to see how Marty was doing.

* * *

Marty stood in the bathroom; he had his socks and jeans on, but was bare-chested and was examining his face and body in the mirror.

"Dad?" he called.

Callen knocked and opened the door worried, "Are you ok?"

"I…I dunno…I got this hair?"

"Hair?" he could see all the blond hair on the boy still sticking up as awkwardly as it had when he'd fallen out of bed, even though now it was wet from the shower he'd had.

"Weird hair…Look?" he lifted his arm worriedly. "And….it's other places too!" he looked stricken; "I'm turning into a monster!" he decided and sank down beside the tub his head in his hands.

Callen suppressed a grin and sat beside him.

"You are not turning into a monster…its called puberty." He said honestly.

"Puber…" Marty coughed as his voice shot up an octave, "Puberty? What's that?" he asked worried, "Can I die?"

Callen looked towards the door, not sure if he wanted to run away or call for help.

"It's something everyone goes through, male or female, although it is different to girls than it is to boys, they have different parts." Callen said suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.

"Parts?" Marty looked up intrigued.

"I am not having this conversation on the floor in the bathroom." Callen said he stood up.

Marty shrank away. "I'm sorry…I didn't want to make you mad."

Callen stopped, "I'm not mad kid, but this isn't the place for this," He held out his hand and the pair of them walked into Marty's room.

* * *

Marty sat looking uncomfortable and embarrassed.

"You know we can talk about anything kid, just between us man to man." Callen said.

Marty scratched his ear looking at the dog, which he pulled to sit beside him.

"I hurt a lot last night, Momma said it was because I got bigger…but it wasn't just that, my…er…my bit's hurt…they were sore and itchy and when I got up this morning, I couldn't pee…it was sticking up."

"It?" Callen asked confused.

"_**IT!" **_Marty stressed.

Callen bit his lip, fighting the urge to smile at the sight of Marty's distress.

"It's ok, that'll happen sometimes, mostly in the mornings." He said.

"Does yours?" He asked innocently staring at the older man.

"Sometimes." Callen admitted. "It's a natural thing, really nothing to be ashamed about."

Marty nodded, "And…I have a spot." He said showing Callen the small spot on the side of his jaw.

Callen sighed, puberty sucked at the best of times, poor Marty doing it all at once, must be terrifying.

"It's you body changing, you are growing up, becoming a man," He grinned, "I'll be teaching you to shave next." He smiled.

Marty looked up at him in wonder, "You…you will?!"

Callen smiled, mostly relived at the fact that part of his conversation was over, "Sure, come on."

And they were together when an hour later Nell knocked on the bathroom door and opened it to the sight of her two favorite men covered in shaving foam, Callen showing Marty how to wet shave. She pulled out her phone and took a picture.

"You guys had better hurry up, breakfast is ready," she said.

"Ok hun, we're coming," Callen said wiping the shaving foam off of Marty's face.

She looked at them both, "So handsome." She smiled and walked back into the kitchen, after texting the picture to Kensi.

They walked in as far as the living room and stopped.

* * *

The room had been transformed from the night before, More decorations hung from the tree and there was a fire burning on the TV screen. In the actual fireplace was an arrangement of pine cones and logs.

And under the tree.

"PRESENTS!" Marty squealed as his voice shot up and then down again. He clasped a hand over his mouth and looked to Callen who smiled.

"It looks like Santa kept his promise." Callen said stunned at the change in his living room.

"Not yet!" Nell said.

They both turned and saw the breakfast table piled high with food.

"Wow!" They said in unison.

Marty headed for the kitchen as Callen heard the door knock.

He opened the door to find Nate and Hetty standing at the door, their arms full of gifts.

"Merry Christmas Mr. Callen." Hetty said as he stood there his mouth agape.

Callen moved and opened the door to let them in as Nell wished them both a merry Christmas.

He closed the door and grabbed Nate by the shoulder.

"Could have used you an hour ago." He growled at Nate.

"Everything alright?" Nate asked concerned.

"Marty hit puberty this morning." Callen whispered.

"Ouch." Nate replied looking solemnly towards the boy. "You guys ok?"

Callen nodded, "Yeah, we're good now but Nate?" he asked.

Nate looked up, "Why are you here?"

"Callen and Deeks' first family Christmas…I had to be here." He smiled, "Now where's the coffee."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Nell looked up as Nate mentioned coffee. "Over there." She pointed to the instant having not made a pot like she usually did.

"No pot?" Callen asked.

"It's Christmas, I made hot chocolate, with whipped cream."

"Like Mr. Nate did, when you guys found me?!" Marty grinned looking at him. "Can we have that please Mr. Nate?" he asked.

Nate put the jar of coffee down, not noticing Nell's sigh of relief. "Sure, you gonna help."

"I …Yeah…er…NO!" Marty yelped as he sat back down, grabbing a napkin and placing it in his lap. "I…er…I'm eating," he said quickly, shooting a look of panic at Callen who immediately understood.

"I'll help you Nate, Marty needs to save his strength." Callen said getting up and walking to the counter with Nate.

"Puberty?" Nate whispered looking at an uncomfortable Marty trying to hold a conversation with Hetty as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Callen nodded, "Yeah so what do we put on this hot chocolate thing then?" he asked.

Nate walked him through the steps.

"Hey kid, you want this?" Callen asked as he brought the drink to Marty.

Marty flinched and nodded, "Yes please."

Callen smiled and placed it in front of him, oblivious to the look Nate gave him.

"Callen I need some help with something, can you give me a hand?" he asked.

"Sure." Callen said, He looked at Nell and kissed her cheek, "I won't be long." He said and followed Nate outside.

* * *

Nate stood a little way from the house and waited as Callen walked over to him.

"What are you doing?" Nate asked gently.

"Helping you?" Callen asked looking for whatever it was Nate could possibly need help with.

"A few days ago, you were calling Marty Shaggy, you were doting on him, and now you're calling him kid?"

Callen looked at Nate, "So…"

"So his father called him kid, and beat him. Did you not see the look on his face?"

Callen shrugged, "I didn't think about it, I mean, he's growing now he'll be an adult in a few days, he won't need me any more." He said turning his back on Nate.

"Maybe so, but G, you knew this. You need to _not_ turn into his father."

"I wasn't going to hurt him!" Callen snapped.

Nate looked at Callen, resisting the urge to grab him gently by the shoulders, "Callen…right now I want to turn you and grasp you by the shoulders, and do you know why I'm not?" He asked.

"Coz I'll kill you." Callen growled out moving away from him.

Nate sighed and shook his head. "No, because you have issues from your childhood, touching without warning is one of your triggers." He held up his hands as Callen went to protest.

"It's not obvious to everyone, I'm your therapist and I've been working with you for years now, I notice these things it's my job."

"What does this have to do with me and Marty?" Callen snapped. He started pacing the back porch he wanted this time to be special for Marty and hearing that he might have hurt him ate at the pit of his stomach.

"You're pulling away from him,"

"No I'm not!" Callen protested, "I sat with him this morning, and we talked."

"Because he was scared and needed you, not because you wanted to." Nate observed.

"Who the heck _**ever**_ wants to have that conversation?" Callen asked.

Nate shrugged, "Parents with their children."

Callen slumped, "I made a mistake didn't I…I knew I was no good at this, it's his first Christmas and I ruined it." He sat in the wall outside his home, noting the concerned look Nell was giving him from inside. He shot her a small smile and nodded; she smiled back and turned away.

"I should just go, leave you guys to it." Callen said.

"You think you'll do him any good by leaving him today of all days," Nate admonished him.

"He'll forget about me, he'll grow up, the team will move on…" Callen thought back to the amount of times in his life he'd moved on and been forgotten within hours.

"Callen this is Deeks. Remember? He remembers everything." Nate prodded. "Besides Nell will need you around too." He added.

"Yeah, Sorry Nate. I can't leave her to look after Marty alone,"

"That's not…" Nate looked over at Callen, "you're scared?" he asked shocked.

"I_** am**_ scared. I am scared that the whole team dynamic won't work when he's big, if he remembers this…which I forgot, he will." He said, "I need to make this time good for him. He's going to go through a lot in the next few days, it's gonna be painful…" Callen sighed, "I can't let him do this alone, but I want our Deeks back, what if by helping him, he doesn't become the Deeks we know, what if I make a mistake and he turns out different?"

"He can't be any worse." Nate smiled.

"Deeks is a great undercover agent, mostly because he had to live his life undercover, hiding his true feelings and pain, what if by helping him; I end up destroying that edge." Callen said.

Nate stood between him and the house.

"If you could go back to your childhood and someone offered you the chance of being a kid again, but without the pain, rejection and suffering you had to go through, knowing that it might change slightly the person you'd become…would you do it?" Nate asked.

"This isn't me," Callen snapped.

"Hypothetically, would you?" Nate asked.

Callen opened his mouth, but couldn't answer so he just nodded his head, "To be a kid, like the ones I see in the playgrounds, the happy ones…yeah, yeah I would." He blinked back a tear, turning away so Nate couldn't see.

"Give him that, don't push him away." Nate said.

"I'm sorry Nate, I messed up didn't I," Callen sighed.

Nate smiled, "No, you didn't mess up, just wobbled a bit, you needed steadying that's all. It happens to all parents, you're just doing it in hours instead of years," Nate smiled at him reassuringly. "Now I think Marty wants you." He said gesturing to the window where Marty was watching concerned but also trying to hold in his excitement.

* * *

Callen and Nate walked back into the house, "Look!" Marty came barreling into Callen, "Momma says we can open the presents." He said excitedly.

Hetty and Nell had taken seats on the couch and Callen sat in his chair, content to sit back and watch as he had in years gone by.

Marty picked a present up off the pile, "Nell!" he read the label and handed her a present.

"Thank you." She said as she took it.

"He..Hetty." Marty's face lit up as he got her name right.

"Thank you Martin." She said, "Your reading is improving." She complemented him and was rewarded with a huge smile.

"Nel…no wait….Nate." He handed a present to Nate, who thanked him and held it in his lap, watching as the boy stumbled over his words but was definitely improving.

"G!" Marty all but yelled,

"What?" Callen looked shocked, Marty's face fell.

"It say's G…there is nothing else…that is you isn't it…did I get it wrong?" He looked up worried.

"No…no, you did great son." Callen said, Marty's smile grew wider. "It's just that I've never gotten a present before, I was just surprised."

"I gave you your first present?" Marty asked.

Callen laughed, "Yeah…yeah ya did…hang on."

Callen got on his hands and knees and crawled under the tree, "My turn, Marty…" he said handing the boy a piece of string with a label on it. "You might want to follow the string." He coached.

Marty looked at the string, "Really?"

He started balling up the string and Callen and the others followed Marty out to the backyard.

Where the string was tacked to a big red bow wrapped around a huge surf board.

"You…you got me a surf board…all my own!" Marty's jaw dropped as he ran towards it. "It's awesome…Ray was gonna teach me to surf, you wait till I tell him!" he practically bounced on his feet.

He stopped as a thought hit him, "Ray doesn't know about me being here does he?"

"Ray's moved away, I have his address you can write to him if you want." Nell offered.

"Yeah…I really wanted Ray to teach me to surf though." He said disappointed.

"I think I know someone who can teach you." Nell said.

"Really?!" Marty smiled again.

"If she doesn't I know a few people too." Hetty said.

"I'd listen to her, Hetty knows loads of people." Callen mock whispered in his ear.

"I have a friend who would give you surfing lessons, Bruce Irons, I believe he is a surfer." She said in her usual deadpan manner as Marty's jaw dropped.

"You know Bruce Irons! And he'd teach me to surf…?!" Marty nearly fainted; He was his idol and had been for about a year.

"He has agreed to give you a lesson tomorrow; it is a part of my present to you." Hetty said.

She was nearly bowled over by what Callen was starting to call hurricane Marty.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Marty yelled excitedly. "WHOO HOO!" he jumped around until Nell put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ok calm down we get it, you're excited," she laughed, "But you have other presents inside, shall we?" she offered.

They went inside Marty telling Callen all about Bruce Irons and how he was the best surfer in the whole entire world. Callen smiled and listened to his every word.

* * *

Nell sat on the floor by the tree. "Marty, these are for you too." she handed him a set of parcels.

Marty looked for permission to open them, with each one his face grew happier, "Books…I got BOOKS!" he practically thrummed with excitement, "And pencils and paper…," he was practically crying. "Thank you everyone."

He sat in the corner with his books as the others opened their gifts, each stealing glances at the boy as he sat his tongue half way out between his lips as he concentrated on trying to read the words in the book totally absorbed in what he was doing.

Nate looked at his gift, a gift set to a magazine he'd been meaning to subscribe to. "Thanks guys, this is just what I wanted." He said.

Hetty had a packet of an exotic tea, "How on earth did you manage to get this?" she asked.

"Iran…Janvier. I picked it up then." He said.

"I didn't like him?" Marty said absentmindedly.

The others all looked at each other.

"Didn't like who?" Nell asked kneeling near Marty.

"Janvier, it's the name of the man in my nightmares." He looked up suddenly afraid, "He hurt my mouth…it was worse than when daddy hits me, I remember a beautiful angel, she came to me and told me the pain wasn't real, and that I should forget about it and dream about her smile." He said, "He's not going to hurt me is he?" he asked.

"No." Callen said, "Janvier can't hurt anyone now." He promised him.

Marty nodded and went straight back to his book.

Nate shook his head at the others and they kept their voices low, "He's remembering some things from before this happened, I think he thinks it's a dream, for now let him think that," Nate changed the subject, "Callen, what did you get as a present."

Callen smiled for a second remembering the red fire truck, "There was only one present I wanted as a kid, I already got that." He said.

"This is from me Mr. Callen." Hetty handed him and envelope, "I discovered it in a file and thought you'd like it."

It was a picture of Callen as a baby with his sister, "Amy…" he breathed as he traced her features with his fingertips, "Thank you."

Nate gave him and envelope too. "These are home made and you can only use one at a time."

Callen opened the envelope and laughed, "Get out of jail free cards?" he laughed. He read the writing out, "One card to be used for one question on one psyche evaluation only at a time. This card will exclude you from having to answer said question at that time, it cannot be used on repeat occasions."

Callen laughed, "I may have Eric make me more." Nate laughed as well.

"My turn." Nell said and handed him a long thin box. "This is a 'to be used later', present too." She told him.

* * *

He opened the box and looked at the plastic stick inside.

"No?" he breathed, "For real?!" he looked at her having not seen what was inside the other two although they had guess were really in the dark.

Callen stood up and walked towards her and dropped to his knees, "Honestly…us?!" he asked.

She nodded, "Are you pleased?" she asked holding her breath.

Callen looked up with tears in his eyes, "Yeah…when?" he asked.

"Six to seven months." She said.

Hetty smiled "Congratulations my dears."

Callen turned to Nate, "Nell's pregnant, I'm gonna be a father."

Marty looked up at that, "I'm gonna be a big brother?" he asked his voice a bit shaky. He got up and walked to Nell, "Is it a boy or girl, where is it?" he asked.

"I'm pregnant, it's inside me," Nell told him.

Marty looked at the adults standing there all smiling. "How did it get in there?" he asked amazed.

Callen stepped back as everyone including Marty turned to look at him.

"I…I…" Callen stammered.

"I think Mr. Callen, it's time you and young Marty had a little talk." Hetty said.

Callen looked at Nate panic on his face, "Help!" he whispered as Marty sat down waiting for Callen to explain.


End file.
